Container Ship Drifting in Heavy Weather off Point Reyes, CA
NOAA initial notification: “At 1900 hrs on 08-APR-2022, USCG District 11 staff alerted their NOAA SSC of a drifting 560’ (172 m) container ship roughly 8 miles off Point Reyes. She was experiencing engine troubles and the anchor was dragging under heavy weather conditions from the NW. Three tugs are en […]”[1]
Latest included source report
Posted 11 Apr 2022
Latest source report
“News Release U.S. Coast Guard 11th District Pacific Southwest Contact: 11th District Public Affairs Office: (510) 437-3325 PADETSF@uscg.mil 11th District online newsroom Update 2: Container ship towed to San Francisco Bay anchorage Editor's Note: Click on images above to download full-resolution version. ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Unified Command coordinated the tow of the Wan Hai […]” Current outcome is not independently verified by seahazards.[3]
NOAA report chronology
3 dated source records · 8 Apr 2022 to 11 Apr 2022NOAA incident record opened
Initial notification excerpt: “At 1900 hrs on 08-APR-2022, USCG District 11 staff alerted their NOAA SSC of a drifting 560’ (172 m) container ship roughly 8 miles off Point Reyes. She was experiencing engine troubles and the anchor was dragging under heavy weather conditions from the NW. Three tugs are en route and a second anchor was deployed, which slowed drift to <1 knot. Even so, she continues to drift towards the Point Reyes National Seashore and is reportedly carrying roughly 39,000 gallons of fuel.”
NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track
Initial incident area only. Dates are NOAA postings, not a vessel track. Playback advances every 5 seconds.
Milestone 1 of 3: 8 Apr 2022. NOAA incident record opened. NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track
NOAA incident record opened
Initial notification excerpt: “At 1900 hrs on 08-APR-2022, USCG District 11 staff alerted their NOAA SSC of a drifting 560’ (172 m) container ship roughly 8 miles off Point Reyes. She was experiencing engine troubles and the anchor was dragging under heavy weather conditions from the NW. Three tugs are en route and a second anchor was deployed, which slowed drift to <1 knot. Even so, she continues to drift towards the Point Reyes National Seashore and is reportedly carrying roughly 39,000 gallons of fuel.”
NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track (38.060°, -123.128°)
USCG Press Release, 08-APR-2022
Source report excerpt: “News Release U.S. Coast Guard 11th District Pacific Southwest Contact: 11th District Public Affairs Office: (510) 437-3325 PADETSF@uscg.mil 11th District online newsroom Coast Guard, partner agencies respond to adrift container ship off Point Reyes coast ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Coast Guard and California Department of Fish and Wildlife Office of Spill Prevention and Response and Marin County are responding to an adrift 564-foot container ship approximately seven miles off the coast of Point Reyes, Calif., Friday. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders were notified around 1 p.m. of the container ship Wan Hai 176 experiencing engine problems while approximately 12 miles offshore. […]”
USCG press release #2
Source report excerpt: “News Release U.S. Coast Guard 11th District Pacific Southwest Contact: 11th District Public Affairs Office: (510) 437-3325 PADETSF@uscg.mil 11th District online newsroom Update 2: Container ship towed to San Francisco Bay anchorage Editor's Note: Click on images above to download full-resolution version. ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Unified Command coordinated the tow of the Wan Hai 176, a 564-foot container ship, to anchorage nine in the San Francisco Bay, Sunday evening. Due to more favorable weather conditions, the Delta Deanna, a 112-foot tug, was able to pass tow lines to the Wan Hai 176’s crew at its anchored location approximately seven miles off the coast of Point Reyes. Once the lines and […]”
Share or embed this incident
Add a dated incident card to your article or website. It links readers to the complete timeline and original sources. The card contains no ads or tracking scripts.
Card preview
Open card ↗The card follows the automatically assembled NOAA timeline. Dates identify source postings, not necessarily event times; the latest report is not a verified outcome. Your publishing platform must support iframe embeds.
Details in the record
- Source record
- NOAA IncidentNews 10440[1]
Reading this account
Automatically assembled from NOAA's incident record and substantive Public Affairs or Situation Update posts. Dates are NOAA posting dates, which can differ from when events happened or original reports were published. Excerpts retain the source's wording and uncertainty. This account does not independently establish the cause, current outcome or safety of the area. NOAA coverage is selective; missing updates do not mean nothing happened. The map shows one approximate incident area, not a vessel track.
These are excerpts from the source, not independently verified conclusions. Publication order can differ from the sequence of events. Follow the source links for the complete reports.
Original sources
Timeline updated 6 Sept 2026. New reports and changes to this NOAA incident are incorporated automatically; this is not a live incident feed.
Related records in our archive
Original source text, preserved separately from this account.
NOAAORR-10440 NOAA response record
Container Ship Drifting in Heavy Weather off Point Reyes, CA. off Point Reyes, CA. 1. At 1900 hrs on 08-APR-2022, USCG District 11 staff alerted their NOAA SSC of a drifting 560’ (172 m) container ship roughly 8 miles off Point Reyes. She was experiencing engine troubles and the anchor was dragging under heavy weather conditions from the NW. Three tugs are en route and a second anchor was deployed, which slowed drift to <1 knot. Even so, she continues to drift towards the Point Reyes National Seashore and is reportedly carrying roughly 39,000 gallons of fuel. 2. THREAT: OIL. COMMODITY: LOW SULFUR DIESEL. MAXIMUM POTENTIAL RELEASE: 39000 GALLONS. 3. POSITION 38.060N 123.128W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 10440: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/10440Open record and warning history →
Follow another incident
Not for navigation. Follow official NAVAREA broadcasts and your national MSI service. About our sources.