Every year there are numerous maritime accidents in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and other waters around the world. Unfortunately, 2021 was no exception. There were dozens of serious and fatal accidents last year. While some of these accidents made national or international headlines, most are known only to those who were involved or who lost loved ones too soon. While Some Maritime Accidents Received Media Coverage in 2021, Most Did Not The most widely-reported maritime accident of 2021 was also one of the most widely-reported maritime accidents of all time. This was the grounding of the M/V Ever Given in the Suez Canal in March 2021. The M/V Ever Given, a 400 meter long, 20,000 TEU cargo ship, blocked traffic through the Suez Canal for six days while tug boats, dredges and other vessels worked feverishly to dislodge it from the canal’s shore. The grounding of the M/V Ever Given caused estimated economic losses of $400 million per hour—putting it at the top of the list of the most expensive maritime accidents in history. While the unprecedented economic losses caused by the M/V Ever Given’s grounding received worldwide media coverage, what was not nearly as widely reported was the fact that someone died during the operation to free the stricken vessel. Without much fanfare or detail, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) reported “the sinking of one of SCA marine units during the salvage operations, resulting in the death of one of the participants.” Sadly, this […]
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