Bad weather, metal fatigue, loss of towline, human error and equipment failure are all common factors leading to the loss of rigs at sea when en-route to a new location. At least 30 jack-ups alone have been lost while on tow. Listed below is a selection of rigs that have sunk.

	Jack-ups Lost in Transit	Fatalities
	Bohai 2 In 1979, the jack-up Bohai 2 capsized and sank in a storm while on tow off the coast of China.	72
	Interocean II After a dramatic crew rescue in 1989, the Interocean II sank in a North Sea storm after towline failure.	0
	Key Biscayne The Key Biscayne capsized and sank off Australia's west coast in 1983 after flooding and towline failure.	0
	Ocean Express Another casualty of towline failure, the Ocean Express sank in 1976 during a storm in Gulf of Mexico.	13
	Ocean Master II The Ocean Master II sank off West Africa in 1977 as a result of structural problems and bad weather.	0
	Mr Bice Mr Bice sank in 1998 in the Gulf of Mexico after structural failure and flooding.	-
	Rowan Gorilla I The Rowan Gorilla I was crossing the North Atlantic in 1988 when it capsized and sank after structural failure caused by bad weather.	0
	West Gamma A storm in 1990 caused structural failure and flooding to the West Gamma, resulting in its sinking after towline loss.	0

Source:

International Maritime Organization: Sub-Committee on Stability and Load Lines

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	Other Notable Sinkings	Fatalities
	Glomar Java Sea Drillship Another storm fatality, the Glomar Java Sea capsized and sank during Typhoon Lex in 1983 with the loss of all on board.	81
	Lake Peigneur In 1980, a Wilson Brothers rig on Lake Peigneur drilled into a salt mine, leading to the flooding and eventual collapse of the mine.	0
	Ocean Ranger A ballast control malfunction caused the Ocean Ranger to capsize during a ferocious storm in the North Atlantic in 1982, with the loss of all hands.	84
	Petrobras P36 In 2001, an explosion destabilised the P36 production rig in the Campos Basin, Brazil, eventually causing it to sink.	11
	Seacrest Drillship The Seacrest drillship capsized in 1989 during Typhoon Gay, with the loss of 91 crew.	91
	Sleipner A Platform A design error resulted in the structural failure in 1991 of the gravity base unit of the original Sleipner A platform.	0

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