The question of the "biggest cargo ship lost" can be interpreted in several ways, as cargo ships encompass a wide range of vessels including oil tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships, each with different metrics of size. However, generally, the largest ships ever lost by deadweight tonnage (DWT) have been supertankers.
The Absolute Biggest Cargo Ship Loss: Supertankers
When considering the sheer scale of the vessel, supertankers — particularly Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCCs) — hold the record for the largest cargo ships ever lost. These mammoth vessels are designed to transport immense volumes of oil, making their losses significant both in terms of ship size and potential environmental impact.
One prominent example of such a loss is the MV Atlantic Empress, a VLCC that sank after a collision and subsequent fire in July 1979 off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago. With a deadweight tonnage of 292,666 DWT, it stands as one of the largest ships ever lost at sea, demonstrating the immense scale of these vessels.
Significant Container Ship Losses: The MOL Comfort
While supertankers represent the pinnacle of overall cargo ship size, the loss of large container ships also marks significant events in maritime history due to their modern design and cargo capacity. One such notable loss was the MOL Comfort.
The MOL Comfort was a cutting-edge MOL C-class container ship that suffered a catastrophic structural failure in the Arabian Sea.
- Key Details of the MOL Comfort Loss:
- Fate: The ship tragically broke in two on June 17, 2013, while en route from Singapore to Jeddah with a cargo of 4,500 containers.
- Sinking: Its stern section sank on June 27, 2013, followed by the bow section on July 11, 2013, after attempts to tow it failed due to severe weather.
- Tonnage: At the time of its loss, the MOL Comfort was a substantial vessel with the following specifications:
- Gross Tonnage (GT): 86,692 GT
- Net Tonnage (NT): 48,825 NT
- Deadweight Tonnage (DWT): 90,613 DWT
The loss of the MOL Comfort highlighted critical issues regarding hull integrity in large container ships and led to significant industry-wide reviews of design and construction standards for such vessels. While not the biggest cargo ship overall by DWT compared to supertankers, the MOL Comfort remains one of the largest and most well-documented losses of a modern container ship.
Comparing Cargo Ship Sizes
To illustrate the difference in scale between various types of cargo ships lost, consider the following:
| Ship Type | Example Ship | Typical Tonnage Metric | Example DWT/GT (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supertanker | Atlantic Empress | DWT | 292,666 DWT |
| Container Ship | MOL Comfort | DWT / GT | 90,613 DWT / 86,692 GT |
| Bulk Carrier | MV Derbyshire | DWT | 169,044 DWT |
This table illustrates that while the MOL Comfort was a massive container ship, its size, particularly in deadweight tonnage, is still considerably less than that of the largest supertankers ever lost.
