The cruise industry has been booming over the last few years, with nearly 25 million passengers taking cruises annually. However, with this popularity comes a certain level of risk.
Cruise ships can be incredibly dangerous due to their size and the number of people onboard. One of the most catastrophic events that can occur on a cruise ship is when it flips over, or capsizes. Unfortunately, this has happened in the past and could happen again in the future.
The most recent cruise ship to flip over was the Costa Concordia in 2012 off the coast of Italy. This tragedy claimed 32 lives and injured many more.
The ship was sailing too close to land, and struck a rock which tore a hole in its hull, causing it to capsize almost immediately. The incident led to an overhaul of safety regulations within the cruise industry and put more emphasis on passenger safety.
Before this disaster, there hadn’t been an incident involving a flipped over cruise liner since 1998 when the Royal Majesty capsized off the coast of Massachusetts after hitting an uncharted undersea ledge. Fortunately, all passengers were safely evacuated before it went down.
Unfortunately, these disasters are not isolated incidents and have happened throughout history. In 1841, nearly 400 people lost their lives when the steamship President flipped over during a storm off Long Island, New York. And in 1854, the SS Arctic, struck an iceberg and capsized off Newfoundland with no survivors.
The risk of such disasters occurring again is ever present given that so many passengers are now travelling on large vessels at sea for extended periods of time. Cruises must take extra precautions to ensure passenger safety by following strict regulations such as staying away from shallow waters or rocky sea beds.
Conclusion: When was the last time a cruise ship flipped? The most recent incident occurred in 2012 when the Costa Concordia capsized off the coast of Italy claiming 32 lives.
But before that there had not been an incident involving a flipped over cruise liner since 1998 when the Royal Majesty capsized off Massachusetts after hitting an uncharted undersea ledge. These disasters are not isolated incidents and have happened throughout history making it essential for cruises to take extra precautions to ensure passenger safety.