Over the past 100 years since the RMS Titanic sank in 1912, only 18 cruise ships and some ocean liners have been publicly known to have
Cruise ships very rarely sink, and when they do it is often when they don't have passengers on board. Just over one cruise ship every 5 years has sunk in the last 100 years. Regarding sinking with casualties, that's only one every 7 years.
The last time an ocean-going cruise ship sank was in 2012, when the Costa Concordia hit a reef off the coast of Italy.
Most of us know the iconic story of the Titanic, which tragically sunk in 1912. Other than that incident, there have only been 22 cruise ships that have sunk in the last hundred years. Some happened while the ship was berthed (parked) or being towed due to mechanical issues.
According to the Maritime Injury Guide, which collects information from the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were 448 major cruise ship accidents between 2005 and 2023. Fifteen cruise vessels sank, and 16 people died in cruise ship accidents.
From 2011-2015, the chances of experiencing a major crime on a cruise ship were less than one in 100,000. This statistic is a powerful testament to the safety of cruise ships, showing that the chances of experiencing a major crime on a cruise ship are incredibly slim.
Both modes of transportation, flying, and sailing, are statistically considered safe methods of overseas travel. When talking about statistics, airplane accidents average one in 1.6 million flights per year. Cruise ships, however, have a much fewer number of accidents per year.
RMS Titanic
The sinking of the biggest passenger ship ever built at the time resulted in the death of more than 1,500 of the 2,208 people onboard. The accident occurred when the ship hit an iceberg while cruising at its maximum speed of 23k on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.
What is the largest ship ever sunk? The Seawise Giant is considered to be the largest ship in the world to have sunk. She was hit by an Iraqi Air Force attack during the Iraq-Iran war in 1988 and sunk due to the damage sustained.
A cruise ship would usually survive if hit by a rogue wave. All modern instances of cruise ships encountering rogue waves have resulted in damage, but the ship hasn't sunk.
The Cruise Passenger publication says: "There were only six reports of pirates attempting to attack cruise ships over the last 10 years – in fact there has never been a successful pirate attack on a cruise ship. However, this doesn't mean cruise ships aren't prepared for the worst."
MV Astoria is a ship that was constructed as the transatlantic ocean liner Stockholm for Swedish American Line, and rebuilt as a cruise ship in 1993. Ordered in 1944, and commenced service in 1948, at 73 years old, she is the oldest passenger liner still sailing in deep water routes.
As soon as an incident happens, cruise ship crew will activate a button that pinpoints the place where the person went into the water. The ship will then stop and turn back to that area. The ship and its crew will perform a lengthy search and rescue operation, lasting several hours.
Issues: Ocean crossings always encounter the roughest waters because there are no nearby landmasses to provide shelter. Avoid: The winter months are the most intense, with transatlantic cruises hitting very rough seas from November through February and Pacific cruises from February through April.
The sinking of the Costa Concordia: 10 years later
The Italian cruise ship ran aground off the tiny Italian island of Giglio after striking an underground rock and capsizing.
Cruise ship injuries are relatively rare compared to the number of passengers and crew members onboard. However, they do occur far more frequently than most of us realize. They certainly occur more frequently than is publicized in the media.
Based on available data on the most recently reported shipwrecks around the world, the Atlantic Ocean is home to the most shipwrecks in the world.
According to an analysis by Unesco, there are over three million resting undiscovered in the world's oceans.
What is the most popular unfound shipwreck in the world? Flor de la Mar is the most famous shipwreck, filled with diamonds, gold and other riches.
On 13 January 2012, the eight-year-old Costa Cruises vessel Costa Concordia was on the first leg of a cruise around the Mediterranean Sea when she deviated from her planned route at Isola del Giglio, Tuscany, sailed closer to the island, and struck a rock formation on the sea floor.
RMS Titanic: The original cruise ship disaster, the "unsinkable ship" struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage in 1912 and sank into the icy water, killing more than 1,500 of its 2,200 passengers and crew.
The front of a ship can be the most uncomfortable place to be in big waves. This is because the front of a ship pitches a lot more in waves than the center of a ship or even the back.
In addition to picking a midship stateroom, which are usually spread out across several levels, it's also a good idea to opt for one that's below the water level. This is because this part of the ship, its lowest and most central area, is the most stable during rough sea conditions.
Thankfully, serious crimes are infrequent on ships at sea, but as the number of passengers increase with an expanding cruise industry, the number of crimes might also rise.