<Tr> <Td> Speed: </Td> <Td> 22 knots (41 km / h; 25 mph) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Capacity: </Td> <Td> 1,400 </Td> </Tr> <P> MS Herald of Free Enterprise was a roll - on / roll - off (RORO) ferry which capsized moments after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on the night of 6 March 1987, killing 193 passengers and crew . </P> <P> The modern 8 - deck car and passenger ferry, owned by Townsend Thoresen, had been designed for rapid loading and unloading on the competitive cross-channel route, and there were no watertight compartments . When the ship left harbour with its bow - door open, the sea immediately flooded the decks, and within minutes it was lying on its side in shallow water . </P>

When did the herald of free enterprise sink