In the early hours of March 20, the cargo ship “Aquarius” encountered a sudden severe storm in waters near the Spanish island of Lanzarote.

The cargo stacked on the deck shifted violently, causing 12 containers to break free from their fastenings and fall into the sea, while several others tilted and became deformed.

In addition to the loss of cargo, the ship’s hull structure also sustained severe damage.

Due to the extensive damage, the vessel has been taken out of service and will not resume operations until a technical assessment and repairs have been completed.

Vessel tracking data shows that the “Aquarius” is currently anchored in the Port of Las Palmas.

Prior to the incident, the vessel was on a scheduled voyage from Huelva, mainland Spain, to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

Storms have been frequent in many parts of the world recently. On March 3, the “OOCL Sunflower,” operated by Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), encountered a severe storm in the North Pacific.

The vessel arrived at the Port of Long Beach on March 18 for inspection, where it was confirmed that 32 containers had fallen overboard and 57 were damaged.