Small vessels can flood faster than pumps can remove water in rough seas
Small vessels in rough seas can flood faster than mechanical pumps can discharge water, leading to rapid capsizing even when rescue ships are in the immediate vicinity.
The physics of vessel stability dictates that small boats with low freeboard are uniquely vulnerable to swamping, as waves breaking over the deck can introduce water faster than any standard pumping system can remove it. This mechanical failure threshold was tragically demonstrated near Lampedusa when a migrant vessel carrying 105 people capsized despite the presence of two commercial rescue ships. The velocity of the hull's failure exceeded the response time of nearby vessels, leaving 32 survivors clinging to an overturned hull in the open Mediterranean.