More than one in 10 containers inspected by authorities over the course of 2025 were shown to have safety deficiencies, according to new data published by the World Shipping Council.
The liner shipping lobby group said that during last year a total of 93,079 cargo transport units – most commonly shipping containers but also ro-ro units and trailers – were inspected at ports and identified 9,645 deficiencies, including “incorrect documentation, marking and labelling, improper packing and inadequate cargo securing, all of which can increase the risk of cargo damage, container losses and ship fires”.
The deficiency rate thus stood at 10.36%, a level that was slightly down on 2023 and 2024, but still way above where the level should be, the WSC argued.
“Finding deficiencies in more than one in ten inspected units is far too high,” said Joe Kramek, president and CEO of the World Shipping Council.
“Correct declaration, packing, securing and marking are fundamental safety obligations. When these requirements are not met, people’s lives are put at risk,” he added.
Although the IMO formally stopped publishing its annual report into container deficiencies in 2024, the WSC has maintained the ...