Repaired MSC Ariane resumes voyage to LA

‘Engine issue due to bad quality of fuel’ forced container ship diversion to Japan

The MSC Ariane, which diverted to Japan for repairs, is slated to resume its voyage to the Port of Los Angeles. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The MSC Ariane, which diverted to Japan for repairs, resumed sailing for the Port of Los Angeles on Tuesday. 

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. said the Ariane “had an engine issue due to bad quality of fuel” on April 2 while en route from Xiamen, China, to LA.

MSC did not say what repairs were done in Wakayama, Japan. 

The Ariane now is expected to anchor in California’s San Pedro Bay on April 30, “but due to the congestion in the Los Angeles area,” is not expected to berth until May 10, MSC said in an update Tuesday. 

The Ariane, with a carrying capacity of 13,050 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), had been slated to arrive at the Port of LA this Saturday. 

Built in 2012, the Ariane is deployed on MSC’s Pearl service, which also includes calls at Vung Tau, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Yantian, China. 

Large-volume importers using the Pearl service, according to FreightWaves data, include Adidas, Amazon, Ikea, Levi Strauss, Puma, Williams-Sonoma, Wolverine World Wide and Yokohama Tire.

Arrivals at the ports of LA and Long Beach have been delayed in recent months primarily because of historic congestion in San Pedro Bay. However, there have been a number of high-profile delays caused by at-sea container losses and mechanical problems, including that of the ONE Apus, which lost 1,816 containers overboard while en route to Long Beach on Nov. 30. The Apus turned back for Asia, arriving at the Port of Kobe in Japan on Dec. 8.

According to a customer update from ONE, the Apus was expected to arrive at the Port of Long Beach in mid-April and it reportedly has completed the discharge of surviving cargo and departed Sunday for Oakland, California.  

“Preliminary information will be provided to our ONE customers on whether their containers are identified as overboard or not,” the shipping line said in the update. 

That information has not been shared with the public. Henry Byers, FreightWaves’ maritime market expert, has said top importers using ONE as their ocean carrier into the Port of Long Beach include Flexport International, MOL Consolidation, Topocean Consolidation, UPS Ocean Freight Services, DHL Global Forwarding, Kuehne + Nagel and C.H. Robinson. 

The Maersk Essen’s arrival at the Port of LA was more than six weeks later than scheduled because of the loss of 750 containers in mid-January in the North Pacific. 

And the arrival of the Maersk Eureka at the Port of Long Beach was pushed back by about three weeks because of a mechanical problem that occurred at sea on March 12. According to MarineTraffic, the Eureka sailed from Long Beach on Sunday and is en route to Ningbo, China. 

MSC Ariane experiences engine problem en route to LA

Maersk Essen loses 750 containers, sails for Mexico

ONE Apus container loss shows need for ‘real-time information’

Click here for more American Shipper/FreightWaves stories by Senior Editor Kim Link-Wills.

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Compliance

Brokerage Compliance Symposium

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Awards

F3 Awards Dinner

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
FreightTech

F3: Future of Freight Festival

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

October 27, 2026 – October 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
Awards F3 Awards Dinner Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Oct 27 – Oct 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now

Kim Link Wills

Senior Editor Kim Link-Wills has written about everything from agriculture as a reporter for Illinois Agri-News to zoology as editor of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. Her work has garnered awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Magazine Association of the Southeast. Prior to serving as managing editor of American Shipper, Kim spent more than four years with XPO Logistics.