The great shipping disasters of 21st century

An oil tanker and a fishing boat collided on the morning of April 12 on Hong Kong's Lamma Island. The accident led to the sinking of the fishing vessel. Here's a look at other major shipping disasters

An Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground and overturned on January 14, 2012, after striking an underwater rock off Isola del Giglio, Tuscany.

The cruise ship accommodated more than 4,000 people on board.

The owner of the luxury liner that ran aground off the coast of Italy, killing at least six people, said its captain had made 'errors of judgment' as the search continued for the missing.

'It seems that the commander made errors of judgement that had serious consequences,' said a statement from the liner's owner Costa Crociere, referring to Captain Francesco Schettino.

The emerged side of the cruise liner Costa Concordia is seen after hitting underwater rocks on January 13, near the Isola del Giglio harbor.

A sailing boat passes near the sinking cargo ship 'New Flame', registered in Panama, after it collided on 13 August 2007 with an oil tanker in the Strait of Gibraltar, near Algeciras, southern Spain.

The Philippine-registered cargo ship Eastern Challenger is seen sinking at the entrance of Tokyo Bay, 13 April 2006.

The Eastern Challenger collided with another cargo ship in foggy conditions at the entrance of Tokyo Bay, with all 30 Filipino and Japanese crew members being rescued, the coast guard said. 

The ship 'Siempre Cansina' sinking near the coast of Burela, northwestern Spain, 22 February 2005.

Aerial view of the stricken Bahamas-flagged tanker Prestige, split in two, sinking off Cayon, northwestern Spain on 19 November 2002.

The tanker carrying more than 70,000 tonnes of fuel oil was sinking off Galicia, with the stern already under the water, Deputy Prime Minister Maiano Rajoy told a news conference, after the hull of the 26-year-old vessel split in two.