For 35 years I was a helicopter pilot for the USCG and was stationed in Kodiak for 2 of those years. Our job was to fly off the back of 365 foot USCG Cutters, (ships), in the Bering and around the islands. Now I wasn't the guy driving the ship but I can tell you that there are very heavy seas in that area. Often times we'd have to tuck into the lee of land just to keep the ship from being damaged. We were in a storm once in that area approaching Unimak where we had 65ft seas and 90+ knot winds. You have to sail with caution in that area of the world. This may explain the route the ship takes. And yes container do get washed overboard all over the world. Many times they just sink, but not always. A floating container is a hazaed to navigation. I deployed 32 times in my career and spent more time at sea, (with a helicopter), than most guys who chose ship driving as their primary duty. I had over 1100 days of underway time. That's more than 3 years of actual underway time. Most boat drivers don't see that kind of sea time in a career, they might be stationed on a ship, but a large part of that time is tied to the pier. Anyway, this might help explain the route the ship is taking, plus remember that the insurance companies expect ships to stay in the established shipping lanes for the most part for liability reasons.
