Slave ship
Slave ships could at times get insurance on their cargos of slaves. But insurance would not pay if the slavers starved the slaves or they got sick. Insurance paid out if the slaves drowned, but not if they were severely starved to death. In 1781 the slave ship Zong was hauling 470 slaves—more than the ship could handle. Many began to get sick. By the time the ship reached the Doldrums, a mid-Atlantic region that at times had no wind, several of the crew had died from the spreading diseases. To save themselves, the remaining crew threw 132 dying and sick slaves into the ocean. Another 10 slaves jumped with them. When they tried to collect the insurance the Insurance underwriter denied the claim. In 1782 in a court in Jamaica, ruled for the owners. The insurance company appealed the decision. This brought a good deal of public attention. It began to be called the Zong massacre. No member of the crew or the owners were ever charged with murder.