According to estimates, 1,500 to 10,000 containers go overboard every year. This is a small proportion of the 150 million or so containers that sail the world's oceans every year. Nevertheless, a considerable amount of cargo is lost in this way, which can also include bikes or cycling equipment.

In January 2021, the 366-meter freighter "Essen" lost a whopping 750 containers after being caught in a severe storm off Mexico. It is not known exactly what ended up in the Pacific. What is certain, however, is that Trek, together with other companies, has sued the cargo company Maersk, as Bicycle Retailer reports. In view of the claimed damages of 337,000 dollars, however, this can only relate to part of the 750 containers.

Just one month later, the "Eindhoven" - the same length as the Essen and underway on behalf of the same freight company - battled a storm off the coast of Japan, causing 260 containers to slip off the deck. Bell and Giro are among the victims this time. Four containers are said to have been filled with helmets and accessories, 8200 boxes in total. Their value: 256,000 dollars. The parent company Vista Outdoor later reported in a media release that it had used the insurance money to reorder the lost helmets and have them flown to their destination.

Helmets as flotsam

In times of a shortage of bike products in 2021, such incidents are of course particularly inconvenient. More importantly, the reports show that no ship personnel were injured in these two incidents and the insurance companies covered the material damage. Incidentally, the much greater danger comes from the containers themselves, as not all of them sink to the seabed but, depending on the cargo, can float just below the surface of the water and be rammed by other ships.

It is quite possible that the Bell and Giro helmets washed ashore in Japan, or where the ocean currents took them. This can also happen years later, as the famous example of a load of squeaky ducks shows. These went overboard in 1992 and enabled researchers in the noughties to gain new insights into the major ocean currents.

One last detail: Anyone who finds lost cargo on the coast is not (actually) allowed to keep it. It belongs either to the company that had it shipped or to the insurance company if it has already paid out its compensation.