Waters around the territory are notoriously crowded with hundreds of vessels - from tiny wooden fishing boats to gigantic container ships - plying the routes to and from one of the world's busiest ports.
In other major incidents, a 190-metre long cargo ship sank 80 kilometres (50 miles) south-west of Hong Kong in August 2013, when a powerful typhoon generated towering waves.
The 21-member crew of the bulk carrier Trans Summer were forced to abandon ship as the vessel tipped on its side and sank, triggering a rescue by two helicopter teams and a passing ship.
In November of the same year, a high-speed double-deck hydrofoil ferry travelling from Hong Kong to Macau collided with an "unidentified object", injuring 87 people.
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