page_title: MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98
section_title: Possible causes
hierarchical_section_title: MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98 / The sinking / Possible causes
context_page_description: The MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was an Egyptian Ro/Ro passenger ferry, operated by El Salam Maritime Transport, that sank on 3 February 2006 in the Red Sea en route from Duba, Saudi Arabia, to Safaga in southern Egypt.
  The ship was carrying about 1400 passengers and crew. The majority are thought to have been Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia, but they included pilgrims returning from the Hajj in Mecca. The ship was also carrying about 220 vehicles. No Mayday had been heard from the ship and poor weather conditions hampered the search and rescue operation. 388 people were rescued.
  The immediate cause of the sinking appears to have been a build-up of sea-water in the hull, when the fire-fighters were trying to extinguish a fire in the engine-room. This was compounded by design faults inherent in Ro/Ro vessels, where minor flooding of the deck can gain rapid momentum due to the free surface effect. When the captain asked permission to return to port, the ship's owners ordered him to continue, despite knowing that there had been a fire. The owners were jailed in 2009 after their original acquittal was overturned.
context_section_description: Several theories have been put forward about possible causes of the sinking.
  Fire: Some survivors reported that there was a large fire on board before the ship sank, and there are eyewitness accounts of thick black smoke coming from the engine rooms.
  Design flaws: al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was a roll on-roll off (ro-ro) ferry. This design allows vehicles to drive on one end and drive off the other, meaning, in theory, neither the ship nor any of the vehicles onboard need to turn around at any point. It also means that the cargo hold is one long chamber going through the ship. To accomplish this, the vehicle bay doors must be near the waterline; unless these are sealed properly, water may leak through. Even a small amount of water moving about inside can gain momentum and capsize a ship, a phenomenon known as the free surface effect.
  Modifications: In the 1980s, the ship was reportedly underwent several modifications, including the addition of two passenger decks and the widening of cargo decks. This may have destabilized the ship past its design limitations, particularly as its draught was only 5.9m. Combined with high winds, the tall ship could have been toppled easily.
  Vehicle movement: Another theory is that the rolling of the ship caused one or more of the vehicles in its hold to break loose and puncture a hole in the hull, thereby allowing seawater to flood into the vessel.
caption: The reported point where the ship was last observed by coastal radar
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