Conventions relating to the carriage of passengers and their luggage by sea

Major maritime disasters like the 1865 explosion of the Sultana, ¹ the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, ² and the 1914 loss of the Empress of Ireland ³ are early reminders of the catastrophic consequences of accidents in the industry of passenger transport. As may be expected, maritime accidents involving major loss of life have a strong influence on public opinion and often lead to improvements in international regulation to protect life at sea. In this respect the 1990 incident of the M/S Scandinavian Star ⁴ brought about amendments to fire regulations, ⁵ whilst the 1987 loss of the Herald of Free Enterprise ⁶ and the 1994 sinking of the Estonia ⁷ led to major changes in the SOLAS regulations relating to the subdivision and stability of passenger ships. ⁸