Protection and indemnity insurer Britannia P&I has hit back at claims from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) that it has abandoned 60 containers lost from a Yang Ming Marine Transport boxship on the seabed.

Around 60 of 81 containers, which were lost from the 4,250-teu YM Efficiency (built 2009) off the Newcastle-Port Stephens coast following a storm in June last year, have yet to be recovered and are sitting at the bottom of the sea.