Global shipping traffic has risen dramatically in the past few decades, and with it the risk of cargo losses from commercial cargo ships. Shipping containers lost at sea, and the debris released from these containers as they degrade, pose a hazard to marine and coastal ecosystems as well as a physical hazard to navigation. Using a 2021 cargo loss incident off the west coast of Vancouver Island as a case study, we use a combination of observational and mathematical techniques to develop improved tools for assessing risks associated with these incidents and supporting the response to future container losses.

Dr. Hauke Blanken is a physical oceanographer with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, working on improving tools and methods for supporting safe navigation and marine emergency response on Canada’s west coast. His primary interests are the development and validation of mathematical models to predict the movement of objects adrift in the ocean, and the application of these models to issues ranging from search and rescue operations to mapping the connections between marine ecosystems. He holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Victoria, and a Master’s in Engineering from McGill University.