Practically all the countries of the world with a coastline run some sort of lifesaving or coast guard operation.

Many of these organisations were founded in the 20th century, as the world’s emergency services became more formalised, and now often work in conjunction with the police, fire and ambulance crews to save lives.

Britain was one of the first countries to develop a comprehensive, organised lifeboat service in the 19th century. The National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck was first formed in 1824. Since then it has saved over 136,000 lives. It s now known as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and is staffed by volunteers.

On-board lifeboats are designed to hold around 20 people and carry roughly three days of food and water, as well as basic navigational equipment. Safety standards at sea are currently covered by two international codes of conduct, in an attempt to prevent further large numbers of casualties next time a passenger ship runs into trouble at sea.