It's impossible to imagine the fear that would permeate on board a sinking live export vessel in the middle of a typhoon, in the middle of the ocean in the pitch black of night.

For the crew members who were reportedly told to put on a life jacket and jump — for the nearly 6,000 animals who didn't stand a chance — the sinking of the Australian-operated MV Gulf Livestock 1 is a human and animal tragedy almost too painful to contemplate.

But it's not an isolated tragedy for an industry defined by a litany of disasters.

ust last year the world watched on in horror as another live export ship — the MV Queen Hind — capsized off the coast of Romania. It took global attention and an international outcry to convince the Romanian government to mount a rescue effort — but by then, it was too late.

Most of the sheep — some 14,420 — went down with the ship. It was later discovered that thousands more animals had perished on this vessel when the company tasked with its recovery found 'secret decks' on board.