In January 2015, a Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier called the Bulk Jupiter sank off the coast of Vietnam with a cargo of 46,000 tonnes of bauxite and a crew of 19 men. Only one survived the tragic incident, which was thought to have been the result of classic cargo liquefaction.

Based on research conducted by the Global Bauxite Working Group and endorsed by the fourth session of the International Maritime Organisation’s Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC-4), it is probable that a different phenomenon dubbed ‘dynamic separation’ was responsible for this tragedy.