An APL containership has lost 40 containers overboard after running into heavy weather of the coast of New South Wales, Australia.

The incident aboard the 5,510-teu APL England (built 2001) occurred just after 6.10am on Sunday, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Agency (AMSA).

The Singapore-flagged ship was en route from China to Australia when it experienced a temporary loss of propulsion during heavy seas about 73km south-east of Sydney.

“The ship’s power was restored within a few minutes, but during this time the ship reported it was rolling heavily, causing container stacks to collapse and several containers to fall overboard,” AMSA said.

“The master of the APL England reported that 40 containers were lost overboard, 74 containers have been damaged.

“Six containers are reported to be protruding from starboard side, and three from the port side of the ship.”

Plane inspection

AMSA said it intends to task one its challenger jets to proceed to the area to look for containers and debris and to inspect the ship for any signs of damage or pollution.

The APL England is located to the north of Sydney and is continuing to head north to minimise the impact of the heavy weather.

“At this stage it is unknown whether there will be any shoreline impacts associated with this incident and we are is working with NSW Maritime to monitor the situation and develop an appropriate response,” AMSA said.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it will investigate the incident.

“Investigators will meet the ship when it arrives in port to survey damage to the vessel and container stacks, interview the crew and retrieve recorded data,” it said.