Category: Ship Disasters
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Shipwreck on the Yangtze River Likely the Worst in Chinese History
The shipwreck on the Yangtze River is as bad as initially feared. At this point, four days after the Eastern Star sank on a stretch of the river that winds through the Hubei province after encountering severe weather, it is all but impossible that more survivors will be found. Of the 456 passengers who were on board the Eastern Star, which has also been translated as the “Oriental Star,” only 14 survived, the same number we reported the day after the shipwreck occurred. Read more […] -
Hundreds Missing after Shipwreck on Yangtze River in China
A cruise ship sailing down the Yangtze River from Nanjing to Chongqing capsized Monday night after encountering a violent storm consisting of heavy rain, high winds, and potentially a tornado. The Eastern Star or Oriental Star, depending on how the ship’s name is translated, was carrying 456 passengers, and now, approximately 43 hours after the vessel first flipped, there are only 14 known survivors. Seven passengers have been confirmed dead, leaving 437 people unaccounted for, most of whom are senior citizens. Read more […] -
Bangladesh Ferry Disaster Kills at Least 70 People
A river ferry carrying anywhere from 140 to over 200 people sank in the Padma River in Bangladesh on Sunday after being struck by a cargo ship. At least 70 people have been confirmed dead, and others are missing. Around 60 people have been rescued. The ferry has now been pulled to the river’s surface and dragged to shore. The phase of the rescue operation involving divers has now concluded, but the area surrounding the shipwreck will continue to be monitored for those who remain missing. The captain of the cargo vessel that struck the ferry has been arrested. Read more […] -
What Does it Mean for a Captain to Abandon Ship?
There is unwritten code for captains of ships, and that code dictates that a captain should never leave a sinking ship when there are still passengers on board. Any time a captain violates this principle, he or she is said to have abandoned ship. For this reason, the term “abandon ship” has negative connotations, even though there are times when a captain could rightly abandon ship (most obviously when every passenger has been helped off the ship, but potentially in other situations as well). Below, we examine the tradition of captains staying on board their ships till the bitter end, and look at some notable recent instances of captains (prematurely) abandoning ship. Read more […] -
The Shipwreck in Italy: Boat Filled with African Migrants Sinks Near Italian Coast; Over 100 Dead
Over one hundred African migrants are dead and many more are missing after a boat carrying up to 500 people sank off the coast of Lampedusa, an Italian island between the coastline of West Africa and Sicily. An ongoing operation by the Italian Coast Guard has saved at least 150 people, who have been brought to Lampedusa’s main port, which has the facilities to treat them. Read more […] -
What is Parbuckling? With Special Reference to the Costa Concordia Recovery Operation
Parbuckling is the process by which a sunken vessel is rotated to an upright position by harnessing leverage. An instance of parbuckling is called a parbuckle salvage for obvious reasons: a ship is parbuckled so that it may be salvaged. This may appear to be an esoteric topic of concern only to engineers, which is essentially true, but parbuckling came to the attention of a larger audience with the raising of the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that tragically sunk off the coast of Italy after rocks tore through the side of the vessel. The shipwreck caused 32 deaths, by far the worst cruise ship disaster in recent memory. Below is a brief explanation of parbuckling; we’ll leave aside technical details and instead focus on the amazing righting of the Costa Concordia. Read more […]
