MV Apollo Sea was a Chinese-owned, Panamanian-registered bulk carrier which sank near Cape Town in June 1994.
Leaking oil from the sunken vessel caused a major environmental disaster which resulted in the death of thousands of seabirds, including endangered African penguins.
[5] All of the ship's 36 crew members died in the sinking, which apparently occurred so quickly that no general distress signals were given.
The vessel had been loaded with 2,400 tonnes (2,700 cubic metres) of heavy fuel oil when she left port four hours before she sank.
Six years later, the region's seabird rookeries were threatened by a similar incident; the MV Treasure oil spill.