Major Ferry/Ship Sinkings Fast Facts
Here’s a look at major ferry and ship sinking disasters throughout history.
This timeline is not-all inclusive; various incidents with at least 1,000 fatalities are listed. Death tolls vary by source.
Timeline
April 27, 1865 – The Mississippi River steamer Sultana explodes and sinks near Memphis, Tennessee, killing between 1,450 and 1,700 people.
June 15, 1904 – The General Slocum excursion steamer sinks in the East River in New York, killing 1,021 people.
April 15, 1912 – The Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg on April 14, 1912, killing 1,503 people.
September 28, 1912 – The Japanese steamer Kiche Maru sinks during a typhoon off the coast of Japan, killing more than 1,000 people.
Facts
The Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was a ro-ro passenger ferry that sank in February 2006 in the Red Sea while en route from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, resulting in the death of 1,031 people and the total loss of the vessel (for further details please see Immunity of jurisdiction defence rejected in compensation claim ).
At the time of the accident, the vessel was registered under the flag of Panama and classed by the Italian company Rina, which had also issued the relevant statutory certificates on behalf of the flag state, acting as their recognised organisation.
Survivors and relatives of the deceased persons involved in the accident had brought different proceedings before the Genoa Tribunal, the place in which Rina has its seat, claiming damages resulting from the classification and certification activity carried out by Rina on behalf of Panama, the flag state of the Al-Salam Boccaccio 98. Both the tribunal and the Genoa Court of Appeal had granted the lack of jurisdiction of the I