The most famous shipwrecks, a century of history
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Having claimed 1513 lives, the Titanic has been considered as the greatest tragedy of the contemporary history of navigation and has been the theme of myriads of films. However more severe accidents could have been premiering in movie theaters. It is the case of the Doña Paz as well as the Mont Blanc.
The shipwreck of a few tankers has been engraved in the minds of all of us. The ensuing oil spills have resulted in extraordinary ecological catastrophes.
Atlas Magazine has gathered in the following table the most famous shipwrecks that have occurred since the Titanic.
List of the most famous shipwrecks
| Country | Year | Ship | Type | Number of deaths | Quantity of oil spilled (in tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mauritius | 2020 | MV Wakashio | bulk carrier | - | 1 100 |
| Tanzania | 2018 | MV Nyerere | Ferry | 218 | - |
| China | 2018 | MT Sanchi | Tanker | 32 | 136 000 |
| Italy | 2012 | Costa Concordia | Liner | 32 | - |
| Philippines | 2008 | Princess Of The Stars | Ferry | 814 | - |
| Egypt | 2006 | Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 | Ferry | 1 134 | - |
| Pakistan | 2003 | Tasman Spirit | Tanker | - | 30 000 |
| Spain | 2002 | Prestige | Tanker | - | 40 000 |
| Senegal | 2002 | Joola | Ferry | 1 863 | - |
| Denmark | 2001 | Baltic Carrier | Tanker | - | 2 700 |
| France | 1999 | Erika | Tanker | - | 20 000 |
| United Kingdom | 1996 | Sea Empress | Tanker | 73 000 | |
| Estonia | 1994 | Estonia | Ferry | 852 | - |
| United Kingdom | 1993 | Braer | Tanker | - | 86 200 |
| United States | 1989 | Exxon Valdez | Tanker | - | 40 000 |
| Philippines | 1987 | Doña Paz | Ferry | 1 565 | - |
| South Africa | 1983 | Castillo de Bellver | Tanker | - | 160 000 |
| France | 1980 | Tanio | Tanker | 8 | 3 000 |
| Republic of Trinidad and Tobago | 1979 | Atlantic Empress | Tanker | 26 | 313 700 |
| France | 1978 | Amoco Cadiz | Tanker | - | 223 000 |
| United States | 1976 | Argo Merchant | Tanker | - | 28 000 |
| Chile | 1974 | Metula | Tanker | - | 50 000 |
| United Kingdom | 1967 | Torrey Canyon | Tanker | - | 120 000 |
| Canada | 1917 | Le Mont-Blanc | Cargo | 2 000 | - |
| Canada - Newfoundland | 1912 | RMS Titanic | Liner | 1 513 | - |
The deadliest shipwrecks
The Mont Blanc, a French cargo which was carrying ammunitions towards Europe, collided with the Norwegian ship Imo in 1917. The explosion, having been heard at more than 400km, caused the death of 2000 people. The number of wounded people amounted to thousands.
The Joola which was plying between Dakar and Casamance sank on September 26, 2002, causing: 1 863 victims.
Al-Salam Boccaccio 98. In the night between February 2 and 3, 2006, the Egyptian ferry connecting Saudia Arabia and Egypt claimed more than 1 000 lives.
The Erika shipwreck
In 1999, the tanker, Erika, with a Maltese flag, chartered by the company TOTAL, broke in two in the shore of Brittany, France and dumped 20 000 tons of heavy fuel in the sea. The total damage caused by this loss was estimated at more than 1 100 million USD. Tourism-related losses were evaluated at 459 million USD. Ecological damages amounted to 401 million USD. The costs pertaining to wreck pumping works amounted to 201 million USD.
FIPOL (International Fund for the Indemnification of damages caused by hydrocarbon pollution) lodged lawsuits against actors of the accident: owner (Giuseppe Savarese), insurer (Streamship Mutual), charterer (Total-Fina-Elf), and classification company (Italian company RINA).
On January 25, 2008, the oil group Total has announced its decision to appeal the verdict handed down on January 16 which sentenced it to the payment of a 552 000 USD-fine and 282 million USD in damages in solidarity with the owner, the manager and the classification company. Total has expressed its willingness to disburse indemnifications “immediately and irrevocably to the pollution victims”, provided that the prosecution drops charges in appeal.
