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How many ships sink a year?

“every year, on average, more than two dozen large ships sink, or otherwise go missing, taking their crews along with them.” In a prescient comment, she says, “imagine the headlines if even a single 747 slipped off the map with all its passengers and was never heard from again”.



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There were 49 large ships totally lost in 2020, basically unchanged from 48 in 2019, according to latest data from Allianz. Safety & Shipping Review 2021 reports that annual shipping losses are now half of the total recorded ten years ago.

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Sign up for the abc27 newsletters here. The dubious honor of the worst sinking of all time goes to the Wilhelm Gustloff, torpedoed by a Russian submarine on January 30th, 1945. She was crammed to the gunwales with German refugees, fleeing the advancing Russian Army in the waning months of World War Two.

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Ships also stop in the middle of the ocean for cargo operations. This may include loading or unloading containers, bulk cargo, or even vehicles. Cargo operations require the ship to be stationary, making it necessary for the crew to stop the vessel until the operation is complete.

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