On this day 20 years ago, on July 23 1998, a destructive fire took place on board the car carrier “Eurasian Dream”. The fire spread quickly, and despite the efforts from the crewmembers and fire-fighters, the vessel and a large amount of its cargo became a total loss.
21st of June marks ten years after the deadly capsizing of the ferry ‘Princess of the Stars’ off Romblon, at the height of Typhoon Fengshen. Resulting from a fatal combination of heavy weather and human error and causing over 800 fatalities, the accident is considered as a significant part of Philippines heavy legacy of maritime disasters.
April 20th marks the 8th year since the greatest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry: The Deepwater Horizon explosion is an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in 11 deaths, 17 injuries and a discharge of about 4.9 million barrels of oil into the sea, leaving a heavy legacy in the safety history of oil and gas industry.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the RoRo ferry ‘TEV Wahine’, New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster in modern times, Maritime NZ shared what has changed with respect to safety. The tragedy helped change international maritime safety conventions and standards.
March 24 marks the 29th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez accident. On this date in 1989, one of the most catastrophic – if not the most catastrophic – oil spills of the 20th century took place. The tanker Exxon Valdez was departing the Port of Valdez, Alaska with a full load of North Slope crude oil, of approximately 1.26 million barrels, destined for Long Beach when it grounded on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. About 258,000 barrels of cargo were spilled as eight cargo tanks ruptured, causing one of the most shocking environmental disasters in the history of US.
Fourteen years ago on this day, the Singapore-flagged chemical tanker ‘Bow Mariner’ sank off Virginia after a fire broke out while its crew was engaged in cleaning residual from cargo tank, resulting in the death of 21 people, total loss of the ship, as well as significant marine pollution.
Six years are marking today since the fatal grounding of Costa Concordia cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in 32 deaths, 64 serious injuries, and a ship total loss. The casualty remains a classic example of how human error, lack of alertness and failure of compliance with procedures can lead to maritime disasters.
