The 50,000 tonned Wallenius Lines owned Tricolor Ro/Ro Vessel sank in the North Sea in 2002 on 14 December 2002. She followed a collision with a smaller freighter that sank her ( Tricolor ) in the morning. During the early hours of 14 December 2002, while traveling from Zeebrugge to Southampton with a load of nearly 3,000 automobiles, she collided with the Kariba, a 1982 Bahamian-flagged container ship. The Kariba was able to continue on, but Tricolor sank where she was struck, some 20 miles north of the French coast within the French Exclusive economic zone in the ^{English Channel.} While no lives were lost, the ship remained lodged on her side in the mud of the 30 metres (98 ft) deep waterway. A third vessel, the MV Clary was alleged to have contributed to the collision in subsequent litigation as having caused an "embarrassment of navigation". But now the main question is, why has a Ro/Ro hardly any bigger than Tricolor sank in the North Sea? Why have both ships been sank by the same two sources - small cargo ships and why have the smaller freighters never sank? How come 10 years ago safety was no where near as better as it is today 1o years on but 6 people died in the collision and none did in the Tricolor accident? Didn't Maritime Law learn anything from the sinking of Tricolor? Maybe if they did, Baltic Ace would of never sank..

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One of many crew members been lifted to safety from the icy North Sea waters after the capsizing and sinking of the Ro/Ro Vessel​

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Baltic Ace. Photo thanks to Royal Netherlands Navy and Mail Online​

The Dutch Coastguard launched a massive search and rescue operation after the Baltic Ace made impact with the small

container ship, Corvus J

Although rough, Dutch marine rescue ships are seen helping, aiding, rescuing and searching for any survivors in the choppy

and Icy North Sea

A red buoy was put out next morning to show where about's the Baltic Ace went down after colliding and hitting the small

container ship that sank her, Corvus J

Hope for finding more survivors from the Baltic Ace as a Dutch rescue speed boat cuts through the water next morning

Need for Speed as the Dutch speed dingy tears through the North Sea in search to find survivors

Before the worst: Corvus J, the small container ship with a big impact on herself and Baltic Ace, is seen here gently sailing out of

a port in happier times

What Corvus J ended up looking like after she smashed into Baltic Ace and sank her