Shocking Maritime Disasters of the Modern Age

When you think of shipwrecks you may think of an older time when the ocean was the only way to cross the Atlantic and radar had yet to be invented. Indeed, scientists have estimated there are over 3 million shipwrecks on the ocean floor, in rivers, and in lake beds — which have occurred over thousands of years of human history sailing the seas. However, tragedies on open water can still occur in modern times. (Also see famous treasures that remain missing today.)

To compile a list of modern ocean disasters, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of news, maritime, and weather publications including the New York Daily News, World Atlas, and Taylor & Francis Online. After that, we selected ocean disasters of note that occurred within the past 30 years. Then, we confirmed aspects of our research using sites like Britannica and The Wall Street Journal.

In 2009, wealthy businessmen Stockton Rush and Guillermo Söhnlein founded OceanGate Inc., which provided crewed submersible vehicles for various purposes including research, exploration, and tourism. A lifelong explorer, Rush believed that undersea exploration remained an untapped market. As he began building ships, his company came under fire for its apparent flouting of safety rules in favor of commercial innovation. Convinced of his products' safety, Rush once proclaimed his submersibles "the safest vehicles on the planet."

Seeking to both court media attention and test out his new submersible, Rush and a few others boarded his company's Titan submersible in June 2023 for an up-close look at the wreck of the HMS Titanic. An hour and 45 minutes into the dive, however, the Titan lost communication with its mothership. It took four days for rescuers to locate the submersible, which had imploded around 500 meters from the Titanic underwater shipwreck. The U.S. Navy sonar system detected that the Titan's pressure hull had burst on its descent, destroying the craft and killing all five passengers instantly, including Rush.

Thanks to a combined rescue effort involving the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Canadian Coast Guard, the ship saw transport back to the surface. In time, Rush's hubristic effort came under fire from commentators. Previously, several industry experts had criticized the safety apparatuses of the Titan. For his part, Rush failed to get certification for his doomed submersible, suggesting excessive safety protocols hindered technological innovation.

Before its downfall, the Costa Concordia was a first-of-its-class cruise ship for Costa Cruises. Weighing in at 114,137 tons, the cruise liner stood as one of the largest ships ever built in Italy. After its official launch in September 2005, Costa Concordia sailed the high seas for nearly a decade without incident. Tragedy struck, however, only a few years later.

On Jan. 13, 2012, a little before 10 p.m., the Costa Concordia hit a rock off the eastern shore of Isola del Giglio in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Immediately, the collision produced a 50-foot gash along the port side of the ship's hull. Water flooded the engine room which cut power across the ship. Water kept pouring in, causing the ship to tilt on its side. In an attempt to save the faltering ship, the captain turned it back toward Isola del Giglio where the ship grounded. From there, it rolled onto its starboard side and lay unsteadily on an underwater ledge. Rescuers were quick to approach the ship but evacuation efforts took over six hours. Although most of the 3,229 passengers and 1,023 crew aboard were lifted to safety, 32 people died in the process.

As rescue efforts ceased, blame for the shipwreck fell on the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino. After being brought up on charges of manslaughter, causing a maritime accident, and abandoning ship, an Italian court found him guilty and sentenced him to 16 years in prison. As for the Costa Concordia, its wreck lay in the sea for three years before workers salvaged it and towed it to the Port of Genoa. There, it was scrapped for parts.

Italian shipyard Perini Navi built the Bayesian superyacht in 2008. Twelve years later, the ship saw retrofitting with a 72-metre mast, one of the tallest in the world. During that time, Revtom Ltd. bought the ship and became registered in the United Kingdom. Since Revtom Ltd. is owned by Angela Bacares, wife of technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch, the superyacht came under the family's ownership.

A well-known, if controversial, businessman, Lynch was recently acquitted in a major fraud trial in San Francisco. To celebrate, Lynch invited friends, family, lawyers, and business associates for a cruise around the island of Sicily. In the early morning hours of Aug. 19, 2024, the ship anchored off Porticello near Palermo, Sicily. A powerful storm hit the area, however, causing a waterspout to capsize the boat. In short order, the Bayesian sank over 150 feet into the sea. Of the 22 people on board, 15 were rescued by a nearby schooner ship. In the following days, rescuers found the remaining six people dead inside the sunken yacht.

The dead included Lynch and his daughter Hannah, Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and Lynch's lawyer, Christopher J. Morvillo. Though it's far too early to tell exactly what went wrong with the Bayesian superyacht, experts suggest that faulty management and ignorance of the incoming storm caused the ship to be destroyed by a random waterspout. In terms of the law, the chief prosecutor of nearby Termini Imerese initiated a judicial investigation of the ship's sinking.

Before meeting its tragic end, the Boccaccio ship was originally intended for Italian domestic service. In 1991, however, the INMA Corporation rebuilt the ship, retaining its original dimensions while increasing its automobile capacity to 320 and its passenger capacity to 1,300. After that, Egypt's largest private shipping company El Salam Maritime Transport bought the ship and fitted it for ferrying service. Renamed MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98, it sailed the Red Sea for seven years without incident.

On Feb. 3, 2006, however, tragedy befell the ferry ship. While crossing the Red Sea en route from Duba, Saudi Arabia, to Safaga, Egypt, seawater began building up in the MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98's hull. Simultaneously, firefighters attempted to extinguish flames in the engine room. Due to design faults inherent in this type of ship, minor flooding of the deck gained rapid momentum and destabilized the vessel. Despite efforts from the captain to ask for permission to return to the port, the ship's owners rejected his request. At 100km from Duba, the ship ceased communication. Thanks to poor weather, it took days for rescue efforts to find the ship. Though it carried 1,400 passengers and crew, as well as 220 vehicles, only 388 people were rescued.

In the fog of disaster, many commentators, including passengers, readily pointed fingers. Some survivors claimed the captain was one of the first people to evacuate the ship on a lifeboat. Eventually, an Egyptian court brought the ship's owners, Mamdouh Ismail and his son Amr Ismail, up on charges. Though these initial charges resulted in acquittal, Ismail was eventually sentenced to seven years in prison. Several employees of El Salam Maritime Transport served time as well.

The MV Le Joola was constructed in Germany in 1990 before it was delivered to The Gambia in Africa. With dimensions of 79 meters long, 12 meters wide, and 1,400 tons, the ship took its name after the Jola people of Southern Senegal. The ship saw introduction to the region as a solution to Senegal's unique geographic challenges by connecting the Casamance region to the rest of the country. Typically, the boat traveled twice a week, often carrying mango sellers and stocks of palm oil. After a separatist rebellion hit Senegal, the military took control of the ship to verify the identities of passengers. Nevertheless, overcrowding remained a constant problem on the MV Le Joola.

On Sept. 26, 2002, the ship embarked from Ziguinchor towards Dakar. Though its capacity stood at 536 passengers, more than 1,928 people were aboard, dangerously overcrowding the ship. As many eyewitnesses claim, the ship was already tilting as it left Ziguinchor. At 10 p.m., the ferry staff made its last call to maritime security in Dakar, reporting good travel conditions. Within an hour, however, rough winds and stormy weather capsized the boat, throwing passengers and cargo into the ocean. The boat erupted into chaos as passengers attempted to stay afloat and avoid drowning within the ship's interior. Since the crew sounded no radio alarm, authorities didn't learn about the disaster until 7 a.m. the next morning.

Of the nearly 2,000 people on board, only 64 survived. In the aftermath, countless pieces of evidence suggested that MV Le Joola would eventually face disaster. It lacked a sailing license, the crew failed to consult a weather forecast before sailing, and its overcrowding was extreme. Senegal closed its investigation a year later, placing most of the blame on the deceased captain, Issa Diarra. The shipwreck also led to numerous payout offers to victims and victim's families from the Senegalese and French governments. (For natural disasters, learn about wildly destructive storms that flattened entire cities.)

First built for Finnish shipping company Rederi Ab Sally in 1980, the MS Estonia sailed ferry routes between Finland and Sweden for various companies including Viking Line and EffJohn. Near the end of 1993, Nordström & Thulin bought the ship for use on its Tallinn-Stockholm route. A cruise ferry by design, the MS Estonia often carried hundreds of passengers between Scandinavian countries at a time.

On Sept. 28, 1994, the ship made its way across the Baltic Sea, en route from Tallinn, Estonia, to Stockholm, Sweden. As near as experts could surmise, the ship's bow door detached from the vessel, pulling the ramp ajar. Due to poor cargo distribution, the rapidly increasing list flooded the cabins and decks. From there, the power failed, and it took almost two hours for the declaration of a state of emergency. Of the 989 passengers, only 137 saw rescue. This made it one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century and one of the deadliest peacetime sinkings of a ship.

In the aftermath of the disaster, investigators laid blame on several factors. For one, they criticized the ship's construction and poor cargo distribution. They put most of the blame on the crew, however, suggesting their passive attitude caused them to not notice water entering the vehicle deck, delaying alarms, and providing scarce guidance to other people on board. Since the shipwreck, memorials for victims have appeared in both Tallinn and Sweden.

After being built in 1984 by Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., in Japan, the MV Princess of the Stars embarked on its maiden voyage on July 10, 1984. Serving as a ROPAX ferry, the ship carried cargo like cars and trucks and had fortifications to survive rough sea travel. After another 20 years of service, the ship retired from cargo hauling. After that, Filipino company Sulpicio Lines bought the ship and made it its flagship vessel. Upon receiving a retrofit that significantly increased capacity to 1,992 passengers, the MV Princess of the Stars became the biggest ferry to ever sail in the region.

For four years, the ship sailed uneventful routes. In 2008, however, tragedy struck. On June 20, the ship left Manila en route to Cebu City. Though Typhoon Fengshen made landfall in the region the previous day, the ship received permission to keep sailing thanks to its size. Out of nowhere, however, the typhoon changed course, putting the ship in serious jeopardy. After a distress signal went out over the airwaves, rescuers raced to the ship and found it partially submerged. In the end, only 56 passengers survived, with 814 dead or missing.

According to several survivors, the ship ran into extremely rough seas which caused the boat to capsize and eventually collapse completely. As bodies washed onshore, rescue efforts remained hampered due to dangerous pesticide cargo on the doomed ship. In the aftermath of the disaster, blame fell on everyone from the maritime authorities to the typhoon itself. Eventually, the Philippines Board of Marine Inquiry ruled the shipwreck to be the fault of human error, blaming deceased captain Florencio Marimon for the tragedy. After that, various government boards and Filippono shipping companies offered compensation to the families of victims.

Built in Japan in 1980, the MV Levina 1 sat at 2,000 tons. After being bought by PT Praga Jaya Sentosa, the ship made regular travel between various islands in Indonesia. On Feb. 22, 2007, however, tragedy struck the vessel as it was en route from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta to the island of Bangka (pictured above). Several hours after leaving port and a few hours before sunrise, the ship somehow caught fire.

In response, hundreds of passengers escaped the vessel by jumping into the Java Sea. The response effort was swift. The ferry's sister ship, the Levina II rescued hundreds of passengers as did the Princess Vanessa, a Filippino ship in the area. As part of the search and rescue operations, nine cargo ships, two warships, three helicopters, and a tugboat raced to the site of the shipwreck. While 60 passengers managed to swim to a nearby island, others were not as fortunate. In the end, 51 people died in the disaster. Although the ship's log claimed it carried 228 passengers, 42 trucks, and eight cars, the Indonesian Navy suggested more. That's because it is common practice for Indonesian boats to leave passenger logs incomplete and let boats be overloaded.

The tragedy wasn't over, however. Crews put out fires and a tug boat towed the ship to the nearby city of Tanjung Priok. From there, a group of four investigators and 12 journalists went aboard the wreckage. Though the group received warnings that the ship was still in too dangerous of a condition to be boarded, they persevered, with many lacking lifevests. Shortly after the group boarded the ship, it tipped over and quickly sank. As a result, one cameraman died and three others went missing. Investigators never found their bodies. In the aftermath, the head of the National Transport Safety Commission said "Journalists will not be allowed to accompany investigators anymore." Ultimately, the ship's captain, Andi Kurniawan, and first officer Sunaryo were arrested and charged with negligence.

When Chonghaejin Marine bought the ship that would become the MV Sewol, the ship stood in dilapidated condition. From there, the company renamed it Ferry Naminoue and operated the ship from 1994 to 2012 as a Japanese transport ship. During that time, it experienced no problems. Between 2012 and 2013, the ship underwent reportedly illegal modifications which increased its weight by 239 tons. Only a year later, however, tragedy befell the MV Sewol.

On the morning of April 16, 2014, the MV Sewol capsized off the southwestern coast of the Korean peninsula. The night before, the ship's embarking from the port of Incheon faced delays due to a heavy, tenacious fog. Though it waited for the fog to dissipate before leaving, it was the only ship to sail from the port that day. At some point in its journey, the MV Sewol took a sharp turn which capsized the boat.

Though the captain and crew immediately exited the ship, they told passengers to stay put. Those who followed said orders never made it out alive. To make matters worse, Coast Guard forces dispatched to the crash site circled the shipwreck during the precious moments when passengers required rescue. Of the 443 passengers and 33 crew members on the ship, 304 died in the crash. Many victims were high school students.In the aftermath, the extent of the crew's and ship owner's negligence became readily apparent. The ship embarked overcrowded and stuffed with ancillary cargo, causing the sharp turn to bring about disaster. Furthermore, the South Korean government failed to respond to the acute crisis moment well. After the fact, the government made more enemies by suppressing criticism and arresting protestors. Ultimately, the shipwreck laid the groundwork for the first impeachment of a democratically elected president in South Korea.

Before its fateful demise, the MV Conception functioned as one of three dive boats owned by Truth Aquatics and was used for charter excursions along the California coast near Santa Barbara. Though regulations required boats over a certain size to be made of fire-resistant materials, the MV Conception's age exempted it from such strict regulations.

On the night of Sept. 2, 2019, the boat anchored off the coast of Santa Cruz Island. In the middle of the night, however, a fire broke out onboard. Five crew members who happened to be sleeping on the top deck made a mayday call before evacuating the vessel. Tragically, everyone on the ship's lower decks, including 33 passengers and one crew member, perished. The surviving crew took off in the ship's skiff and made it to a nearby boat where they made another distress call.

Eventually, the U.S. Coast Guard made it to the scene though they had trouble putting out the fire. While the cause of the fire was never explicitly uncovered, a later NTSB investigation suggested tragedy could have been prevented if the ship had a roving watchman, as per regulations. Ultimately, victim's families sought settlements with the boat's owners. It remains the worst maritime disaster in California since the sinking of ship Brother Jonathan in 1865. (For other remarkable wrecks, discover the most famous shipwrecks ever discovered.)