However, incidents where catastrophic structural failure is a more likely danger than capsize or
sinking may leave crew with a major dilemma. Statistics show that collisions and grounding rarely
happen in high sea states unlike structural failure which becomes more likely as a result of the
increased wave induced loading. Abandoning a perfectly safe ship exposes the crew to additional risks
especially in stormy weather but if they decide to stay onboard and ship breaks up the opportunity to
leave may have passed. Mariners often face very difficult conditions during storms. Confusion and
incorrect or lack of action may allow a minor issue to propagate into a significant incident as
demonstrated in the cases of MSC Napoli and Prestige, Fig.1.