Loss of life at sea from shipping British coal since 1890

Carter, Tim, Williams, John G., Smith, Hance D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5520-0788, Protheroe-Jones, Jennifer, John, Ann and Roberts, Stephen E. 2023. Loss of life at sea from shipping British coal since 1890. International Journal of Maritime History 35 (3) , pp. 431-453. 10.1177/08438714231181754

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (3MB)

Abstract

There was continuing public and political concern about the loss of life at sea during the second half of the nineteenth century in Britain. New regulatory requirements, introduced to examine the competence of officers, prevent overloading and reduce the risks from hazardous cargoes such as coal, were in place by 1890. However, the effectiveness of these measures was not systematically monitored at the time. This retrospective evaluation reviews subsequent loss of life in the coal trade, the largest sector of British exports by weight. Loss of life remained high; it was more dangerous to export a ton of coal than it was to mine it. Some routes, such as those around Cape Horn and to Scandinavia, carried the highest risk, and losses on European voyages were more common in winter. Over time, the risks reduced as sail gave way to steam and diesel propulsion, and as maritime communications improved.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Earth and Environmental Sciences
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Start Date: 2023-07-12
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	0843-8714
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	11 October 2023
Date of Acceptance:	16 May 2023
Last Modified:	23 Oct 2023 09:17
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/163125

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item