The Japanese-flagged cargo ship MV ONE Apus lost more than 1,800 containers after it was caught up in a violent storm in the Pacific on its way to Japan.

It is believed to be the second biggest cargo loss in shipping history after the sinking of the MOL Comfort in 2013.

The ship was about 1,600 nautical miles off Hawaii when the storm hit, and the ship reportedly encountered 16-meter waves. Among the boxes that went overboard were over 60 containers carrying dangerous goods, including fireworks, batteries, and liquid ethanol.

On December 8, the ship arrived in the Japanese port of Kobe for a full safety check. The remaining containers will be removed after the ship has been declared safe.

Difficult words: cargo ship (a big ship that is used to transport goods), nautical mile (a unit that is used to measure distances at sea, and it equals to 1,852 meters), ethanol (a type of alcohol that is used in explosives, fuels, and to make alcoholic beverages).