MSC ANTONIA Incident - MSC Statement

Attn. MSC ANTONIA voyage IU431A

The cargo ship MSC ANTONIA encountered heavy adverse sea conditions while sailing off East London, South Africa, on 28 August 2024.

Unfortunately, a number of the containers were damaged or lost overboard off the coast of East London.

In close coordination with the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), MSC has implemented a comprehensive network with a central coordination hub and a range of specialized operators ready to respond along the entire coastline. Ships equipped with sonar have also been deployed to search for missing cargo at sea.

A lot of the missing cargo and container debris have been spotted and recovered already, but it is still possible that what is left will wash up ashore in the coming days.

The population is asked not to approach containers, debris and/or cargoes found nor to take away, touch or consume these items as they may pose a health risk. In case such debris or cargoes are discovered, please call Spill Tech at +27 63 404 2128 to report.

MSC takes this incident very seriously, both in terms of the impact of such accidents on the natural environment and in terms of any damage to customer cargo.

In all aspects of the clean-up MSC is collaborating with local authorities.

Journalists may contact media@msc.com.