Dive summary:

• The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) has released a notice that over the last few weeks there have been an increased number of reported thefts from export shipments during transit to certain parts of the world.
• The association said the containers are normally tampered with en route and evidence is suggesting that organized crime is involved.
• The exact damages are unknown but an estimated $200 billion in cargo has been reported stolen so far.

From the article:

The association notes that there have been several cases of containers being tampered with en route, often on their way to and from the terminals, with growing evidence of organized crime involvement. The BIR says that sophisticated theft techniques of containers while leaving the seals intact are becoming more commonplace. The result is that losses are only discovered when the container arrives at the consignee’s warehouse.

The BIR notes that along with reporting the theft with ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB), it is recommending shippers consider using more robust container seals and so-called smart box container technology in an effort to reduce their exposure to such losses. ...