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The list of shipwrecks in 2015 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 2015.
The cargo ship carrying 20,000 sacks of cement sank off Lobo, Batangas, Philippines, after encountering rough seas and strong winds. Of her crew, one was killed and nineteen survived.[1]
The car transporter developed a severe list and was beached on the Bramble Bank, in The Solent. All twenty-five people on board were rescued by helicopter and lifeboat.[8][9]
The fishing vessel capsized and sank after striking a reef off Averøy, Norway. Her nine crew were rescued by a Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue vessel and another boat.[25]
The ship ran aground off the Galapagos Islands and partially sank.[29] Ecuadorean authorities have decided that the ship will be scuttled once her cargo has been offloaded.[30]
The cruise ship ran aground 7.6 nautical miles (14 km) south west of Puerto Montt. All 120 passengers and crew were taken off by the Chilean Navy.[37]Skorpios II was refloated the next day and taken to Puerto Montt.[38]
The cargo ship foundered in the Black Sea 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) off Ayancik, Turkey. Her twelve crew were rescued by Turkish Coast Guard helicopters.[43]
The ship was driven ashore on the coast of Levitha, Greece. Her six crew were rescued by a Greek Coast Guard helicopter.[48] She floated off on 26 February and foundered.[49]
The cargo ship collided with another vessel in the Yellow Sea off Gunsan, South Korea and was severely damaged. Her eighteen crew were taken off by helicopter.[51] The ship was beached; it was later taken under tow by the tugKoyo Maru (Japan) but capsized and sank in the Korea Strait 22 nautical miles (40 km) off Jeju Island, South Korea on 12 March.[52]
The cargo ship foundered in the Sea of Japan 150 nautical miles (280 km) off the coast of Honshū. Her fourteen crew were rescued by the Japanese Coast Guard.[58]
A ferry sank off the coast of Myanmar, killing about 50 people. The accident was attributed to poor weather conditions.[62] According to reports, there were more than 200 passengers on board the Aung Takon ferry, which was sailing from Kyaukphyu to Sittwe in Myanmar's Rakhine State when it sank.[63]
The cargo ship struck a submerged object and sank in the Strait of Malacca 10 nautical miles (19 km) off Belawan. Two of her fourteen crew were killed and five were rescued. As of 27 March, nine are missing, presumed dead.[69]
The fishing vessel foundered in the Sea of Okhotsk off the Kamchatka Peninsula with the loss of 57 of the 132 people on board. Twelve people were reported to be missing.
The ship foundered off the coast of Sulu Province. Fifty passengers were being carried illegally on board the overloaded vessel. Five were confirmed to have died and fourteen were rescued. The remainder were listed as missing.[74]
The passenger ferry suffered an onboard explosion, caught fire and sank off Ao Nang. One of the 116 passengers was reported to be missing after they abandoned ship, with a second reported to have died.[81][82]
The factory ship caught fire at Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. The burning ship was towed 20 nautical miles (37 km) offshore after her 72 crew were evacuated.[83] She sank on 14 April.[84][85]
The cargo ship sprang a leak and was abandoned off Datça, Turkey. Her 21 crew were rescued by fishing vessels and the Turkish Coast Guard.[87]
18 April
List of shipwrecks: 18 April 2015
Ship
State
Description
Unnamed migrant ship
The 20-metre (66 ft) vessel capsized to the south of the Italian island of Lampedusa, with seven hundred feared dead after it collided with King Jacob (Portugal) and sank within five minutes. Twenty-eight people survived.[88][89]
The barge was carrying 500 tons of phosphate. The ship capsized after colliding with the foundations of the city's Dandara Bridge, in Upper Egypt's Qena. No casualties were reported. The ship was probably a property of the Egyptian Armed Forces.[91]
The cargo ship caught fire off Cuxhaven, Germany. Fourteen firefighters were airlifted to the ship, but they and her 22 crew were later evacuated.[104]
The sailing ship foundered in the Baltic Sea off Swinoujscie, Poland with the loss of one of the twelve people on board. Survivors were rescued by the fishing vesselPalucca (Germany). Down North was on a voyage from Swinoujscie to Spitzbergen, Norway.[106]
The ship was traveling on the Yangtze River in Jianli, Hubei Province with 454 people on board when it capsized in a severe thunderstorm. On 13 June, 442 deaths were confirmed, with 12 rescued.[108]
The car carrier was damaged by fire whilst on a voyage from Bremerhaven, Germany to Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom. She was consequently scrapped.[109]
The LPGtanker issued a distress signal in the South China Sea 200 nautical miles (370 km) off the coast of Vietnam. Reported missing as of 11 June.[110] She later turned up at Palembang, Indonesia, safe and unscathed.
The cargo ship foundered in the Indian Ocean 24 nautical miles (44 km) south of Daman. Her fourteen crew were rescued by Indian Coast Guard helicopters.[116]
The cargo ship developed a list in the Indian Ocean 40 nautical miles (74 km) north west of Mumbai. Her twenty crew were rescued by Indian Navy helicopters and taken to INS Shikra.[117]
Two modified workboats being used as tugs sank in the Saint Lawrence River off of Cornwall, Ontario after being pulled under a barge being used for the demolition of the Seaway International Bridge by stronger current than expected, all crew of both boats were rescued with minor injuries. [118]
The cargo ship collided with Wan Li 8 (China) and sank off Zhoushan with the loss of at least one of her twelve crew. Survivors were rescued by Chinese Coast Guard and Chinese Navy helicopters, with one crew member swimming ashore.[130]
was struck off Rafah by a missile fired by ISIS forces.[136]
19 July
List of shipwrecks: 19 July 2015
Ship
State
Description
Unnamed ship
flag unknown
The ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Mareesa by Libyan Air Force aircraft. A government spokesman claimed that the vessel was carrying weapons and ammunition that were destined for terrorists in the east of the country.[137]
The container ship sprang a leak, capsized and sank in the Java Sea 100 nautical miles (190 km) north east of Surabaya. Two of her crew were reported missing.[163]
The cargo ship struck a reef and sank off Ningbo-Zhoushan. Her five crew were rescued.[164]
5 September
List of shipwrecks: 5 September 2015
Ship
State
Description
Caledonian
Unknown
The fishing vessel capsized with four people on board while hauling fish aboard in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The vessel eventually sank and minor pollution was reported. One crew member was rescued and the bodies of the remaining three crew members were recovered.[165]
The 42-metre (138 ft) fishing trawler sank off Hangklip. Eight survivors were found also ten bodies had been recovered. Three crewman remained missing.[169]
Hurricane Joaquin: The ro-ro cargo ship foundered in the Atlantic Ocean off the Bahamas with the loss of her thirty-three person crew. Later analysis of the sea state indicate El Faro was hit by a rogue wave of over 23 m.[172][173]
The cargo ship collided with Al Oraiq (Marshall Islands) and sank in the North Sea off Blankenberge, West Flanders, Belgium. Her eleven crew were rescued.[181] The wreck was deemed a hazard to shipping. The bow section was refloated on 27 June 2016. The stern section is scheduled to be refloated in August 2016.[182]
Hurricane Patricia: The cargo ship was driven ashore at Barra de Navidad. Her twenty-seven crew were rescued by helicopter.[189] She subsequently broke her back. It was planned that she would be scuttled,[190] but later it was decided that she would be scrapped in situ.[191]Los Llanitos broke in two on 10 October 2017.[192]
The whale-watching boat sank off the coast of Vargas Island, near the resort of Tofino, Vancouver Island. Five people were killed and one reported missing.[193]
The cargo ship capsized 7 nautical miles (13 km) off Ho Chi Minh City with the loss of one of her eighteen crew. Twelve were rescued, five were reported trapped in the ship.[195]
The cargo ship sprang a leak and foundered in the Bismark Sea off Lae, Papua New Guinea. Her twenty-one crew took to the lifeboat and were subsequently rescued by COSCO Shanghai (China).[196]
The ferry sank on the Chindwin River, Sagaing Region while heading for Sae Zin from Monywa. Approximately thirty people are saved and eight bodies recovered, out of an unknown number of passenger (estimated at seventy to one hundred).[198]
The cargo ship collided with Ji Xin 9 (China) in the Taiwan Strait and was severely damaged. Her 26 crew were rescued by Ji Xin 9 (flag unknown). Guang Yun was on a voyage from Zhoushan to Dong Guan.[201]
The cargo ship foundered in the Philippine Sea 130 nautical miles (240 km) west of Vigan with the loss of eleven of her nineteen crew. Survivors were rescued by Ashley Lady (Singapore).[209]
The cargo ship collided with Stolt Commitment (Cayman Islands) and sank in the Singapore Strait. Six of her twelve crew were reported missing.[216] Three bodies were recovered from near the wreck of the ship in late December; one of them was confirmed to be a crew member.[217] The other two bodies were later also confirmed to be missing crew members.[218]
The passenger ferry capsized and sank off the south coast of Sulawesi, 13 nautical miles (24 km) south east of Siwa. About 40 of the 125 passengers and crew were rescued. 60 people were killed in the sinking.[220]