High Rate of Safety Deficiencies Found in Cargo Inspection Reports
A new report consolidating the survey results from seven countries and more than 93,000 cargo inspections highlights an alarming rate of deficiencies. The World Shipping Council published the data showing that one in ten cargo shipments were identified with safety issues and that the rate of deficiencies has increased over the past decade.
Problems included incorrect documentation, marking and labelling, improper packing, and inadequate cargo securing, all of which the trade group said can increase the risk of cargo damage, container losses, and ship fires. It comes as the shipping industry continues to struggle with safety issues and after high-profile fires at sea killing and endangering seafarers. WSC points to the latest statistics by insurer Allianz, which indicate that a containership fire occurs every 17 days.
“Finding deficiencies in more than one in ten inspected units is far too high,” said Joe Kramek, President and CEO of the World Shipping Council. “Correct declaration, packing, securing and marking are fundamental safety obligations. When these requirements are not met, people’s lives are put at risk.”
The group consolidated the reports submitted to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) from 93,079 inspections conducted in 2025 by Chile, Finland, Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, Sweden and the United States. It highlights that deficiencies were identified in 9,645 inspections, a rate of 10.36 percent among the reports.
An analysis of the data shows that between 2017 and 2025, the average rate of deficiencies was over 9 percent, but had been as low as 6.5 percent and 7.4 percent in 2020 and 2021. Over the past three years, the rate has ticked upwards to over 11 percent in 2024 and a three-year average of 10.9 percent.
The World Shipping Council last week also highlighted lapses in the international dangerous goods rules. It called on the IMO member states to address the gaps, pointing out that containers are currently carrying thousands of undeclared lithium batteries. It said that global lithium-ion battery deployment in 2025 was six times higher than in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency, with battery demand expected to double by 2030.
WSC took on the consolidation and publication of the results after the IMO discontinued its annual consolidated report in 2024. It notes that the end of the release of the statistics leaves significant gaps in the global safety picture for the shipping industry.
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“States have a responsibility to enforce cargo safety rules, including through effective inspections,” said Kramek.
The World Shipping Council expressed concern that only seven of the IMO’s more than 170 Member States reported container inspection results for 2025.
