One Surprising Way A Cargo Ship can Sink: A Landslide Inside It

When you think of a landslide, chances are you're not thinking of a cargo ship sailing in the ocean. But that can happen ... and when it does, it can sink the ship.

Dave Petley of The Landslide Blog explains:

In each case, the motion and/or vibration of the ship has induced dynamic liquefaction, just as we see in slopes in susceptible materials when they are subjected to seismic accelerations. Once liquefaction has occurred the cargo starts to move with the rolling of the ship, potentially exacerbating the rolling motion, and creating a feedback loop that allows the situation to worsen. The cargo can drain whilst located on one side of the ship, inducing a permanent list. Once this has happened it is hard to correct the problem whilst at sea.

Photo: Pikabu.ru - via Evil Mad Scientist