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Ship collision is the structural impact between two ships or one ship and a floating or still object such as an iceberg.[1] Ship collisions are of particular importance in marine accidents. Some reasons for the latter are:

  • The loss of human life.
  • The environmental impact of oil spills, especially where large tanker ships are involved.
  • Financial consequences to local communities close to the accident.
  • The financial consequences to shipowners, due to ship loss or penalties.
  • Damage to coastal or off-shore infrastructure, for example collision with bridges.

As sea lanes are getting more congested and ship speeds higher, there is a good possibility that a ship may experience an important accident during her lifetime. Higher speeds may cause larger operational loads, like slamming, or excessively severe loads, for example during a collision. Denser sea routes increase the probability of an accident—in particular a collision—involving ships or ships and shore or offshore structures.[citation needed]

Collisions with wildlife[edit]

Further information: Environmental impact of shipping § Wildlife collisions

Large whales and species like sea turtles sear often suffer lethal wounds from collisions with ships ("ship strikes").[2][3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Database Of Ship Collisions With Icebergs Archived 2012-04-20 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Ship Strikes". IWC. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  3. ^ "Ship strikes". WWF. Retrieved 2018-02-26. Collisions between cetaceans and vessels – known as ‘ship strikes’ or ‘vessel strikes’ – are a significant cause of death and traumatic injury for cetaceans. And these accidents are likely to become more common in the future due to the increasing amount of traffic on our seas, and the increasing size and speed of today’s ships.Tackling this threat to the world’s cetaceans is hampered by the fact that under- or non-reporting of ship strikes is still the norm around the globe. ... Since its creation in 2009, more than 1,200 incidents have been registered [until 2014].