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Containership Spills 85 Boxes Overboard Forcing Suspension at Casablanca

container floating in ocean with tugboat
Approximately 85 containers fell into the water near the entrance to Casablanca (Moroccan TV)

Published Feb 27, 2026 11:23 AM by The Maritime Executive


Port officials ordered a suspension of operations overnight at the Port of Casablanca in Morocco as they were dealing with an overboard incident with containers near the entrance to the harbor. It is unclear when operations would resume as daylight revealed numerous containers floating in the port’s fairway.

The National Ports Agency issued the suspension order at approximately 2300 local time on Thursday, February 26, saying transit was unsafe due to the incident. Media reports indicate operations at the port remained suspended on Friday.

A Greek-owned containership operating under charter to Hapag-Lloyd spilled containers into the channel as the vessel was outbound from Casablanca. The ship named Ionikos (52,427 dwt) and registered in Liberia operates on a route running between Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf of Guinea with calls in Nigeria and other regional African ports.

The ship was bound for Barcelona after handling containers in Casablanca. According to the statement, the ship encountered heavy swells, causing it to roll, and an estimated 85 containers went overboard. The ship is currently anchored approximately six nautical miles offshore. Built in 2009, the ship is 258 meters (846 feet) in length and has a capacity of 4,360 TEU.

 

 

Five boats from the Royal Maritime Gendarmerie and the Royal Navy were dispatched, and a helicopter was also being used to search for the containers. Officials said that because the incident happened at night, it was more difficult to locate the containers floating in the waterway. Tugboats were standing by some of the boxes floating in the water.

Media reports said the containers were transporting car parts, furniture, and other consumer goods. At least one container broke open and washed onto a local beach. The newspapers reported that boxes of Nestlé-branded cereal were found on the beach.

The newspaper reports that port operations have been impacted this winter by a series of storms and difficult weather conditions. They said there has been a disruption due to persistent swells. The port authority said operations would resume when it was safe for transit.