Classification
- Incident Type: Capsize unknown mechanism
- Severity: High
- Evidence status: The controlled classification is retained from the incident record; contemporary reports consistently describe severe listing and loss of stability rather than a confirmed full capsize.
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Sea Xpress |
| Vessel Name Variant | Sea Express |
| Vessel Type | General Cargo |
| Flag State | Panama [PA] |
| IMO Number | 9190080 |
| MMSI | 352001894 |
| Gross Tonnage | 12993 |
| LOA (m) | 143.11 |
| Breadth (m) | 22.80 |
| Bollard Pull (t) | |
| Power (kW) | |
| Owner/Operator | Nan Lian Ship Management / Sea Express Line (reported) |
| TEU | |
| Year Built | 1999 |
| Crew Size |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2023-01-07 |
| Location | Mundra International Container Terminal, Mundra Port, Gujarat, India |
| Coordinates | 22.7530, 69.6847 |
| Region | Arabian Sea |
| Fatalities | |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | |
| Cargo Loss | At least 20 containers reportedly fell into the water; the exact count and recovery status are unresolved |
| Direct Damage | No damage to jetties or port property was reported; vessel damage was not quantified. |
| Economic Damage | |
| Insured Loss | |
| Salvage/Cleanup Cost |
Key facts
- Sea Xpress, also reported as Sea Express, was a Panama-flagged general-cargo or multipurpose vessel with IMO 9190080.
- The vessel lost stability during cargo operations at MICT, listed first to port and then toward starboard, and came against the pier.
- At least 20 containers were reported overboard by maritime reporting; an official count and recovery outcome were not located.
- APSEZ was reported to have activated emergency protocols and stated that personnel were safe and port property was not damaged. Marine movements through the fairway were temporarily suspended during recovery operations.
Narrative
Sea Xpress arrived at Mundra International Container Terminal from Jebel Ali and was reported alongside on 7 January 2023. During cargo operations, the vessel developed a severe list, first toward port and then toward starboard, before coming against the pier. Reports described containers falling into the water, with one maritime report citing at least 20 units. That figure came from a broker report and was not confirmed by an official incident publication.
APSEZ was quoted as saying that emergency protocols were activated and that tugs and marine and port-management teams were deployed. The same reporting stated that all personnel were safe, no damage to jetties or port property was reported, and marine movements through the MICT fairway were suspended while recovery work was carried out. The vessel’s own damage, cargo recovery, pollution, and financial losses were not quantified in the sources reviewed.
Some contemporary reports attributed the event provisionally to an error in calculating ballast parameters for a multipurpose vessel. That attribution came from a local shipping source and is not a confirmed investigation finding. No final public investigation report was located.
The Gujarat High Court record for an admiralty case states that the vessel was arrested and later released after the parties settled. The order records the legal aftermath, not the cause of the casualty or the amount of any damage.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2023-01-07 | Sea Xpress arrived from Jebel Ali and was reported alongside at MICT during the day. |
| 2023-01-07 | During cargo operations, the vessel lost stability, listed first to port and then to starboard, and came against the pier. |
| 2023-01-07 | Containers fell into the water; emergency protocols, tugs, and marine-management teams were deployed. |
| 2023-01-07 onward | Marine movements through the MICT fairway were temporarily suspended for recovery operations. |
| 2023-03-03 | The Gujarat High Court recorded settlement of the admiralty proceedings and ordered release of the vessel from arrest. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ballast-parameter calculation error | Reported | A local shipping source was reported to have attributed the loss of stability to an error in calculating ballast parameters. No final investigation finding confirms this explanation. |
| Cargo-operation stability | Suspected | The severe list developed during cargo operations, but the roles of cargo distribution, ballast, crane position, lashings, and vessel stability were not established in the public sources reviewed. |
Investigation
Contemporary reporting stated that local authorities were investigating the cause. No publicly accessible final report from an Indian maritime casualty-investigation body, coast guard, port authority, or operator was identified. The available evidence does not resolve the precise stability mechanism, the number of containers lost or recovered, or the extent of vessel, cargo, environmental, or economic damage.
References
- Gujarat High Court order concerning M.V. Sea Xpress
- Container News: Box vessel tilts at India’s Mundra Port due to stability problems
- Container News: Containers fall into Mundra waters after feeder capsizes
- Xinde Maritime News: Sea Xpress incident at Mundra
- VesselFinder: Sea Xpress, IMO 9190080