"Richard Casady" wrote in message
...
The original question was if the could they be made to sink and I
pointed that if they started out that heavy , the all up weight comes
to a ridiculous total for the ships. As it is, a container of
machinery will slowly sink, but foam packing may keep a box,or enough
of them, the boxboat itself, afloat until it lots of rusting has
occured.


How about passing international law that all shipping containers must be
loaded, either with cargo, mixed cargo or cargo and ballast, so as to make
them negatively buoyant? Might complicate loading a bit, but would increase
safety at sea immensely.