On 27 July 2018, a man was killed in an explosion at the docks.[2] A spokesman for Northumbria Police said that "The police were made aware that a man had died in a suspected industrial accident on Prospect Row, at Sunderland Docks.[3] The man was named as dock worker Brendan Eccles, a 61-year-old grandfather from Billingham.[4][5][6] In 2019, the incident was investigated and examined by Sunderland City Council who produced a review into health and safety issues.[7]
In 2020, a Greenpeace ship staged a protest off the coast of the docks.[8]