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Thread: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

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    Default Re: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

    Quote Originally Posted by dave moore View Post
    I understand that many suffered tank explosions,you old salts any info on these.
    1969 / 70 MACTRA (shell uk) and Kong Haakon (Norway) around the same time.
    Huge investigation by Shell determined that a static spark from one of the tank cleaning machines was the cause. All hot washing immediately suspended.
    All Telcon tools (bronze) were dumped as it was found that they more readily accepted a static spark and more easily discharged it also.

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  3. #12
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    Default Re: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

    Whilst off the S.A coast on the Clan Ranald, we suffered a game of chicken with a VLCC.
    The old man and the C.E. were in the dining room finishing breakfast, when the ship lurched from side to side.
    Down below the exhaust turbines were in the red, klaxons sounding, engineers cursing.

    The old man raced to the bridge, the 3.O. was dealing with the problem and the old man did not get involved, congratulating the 3.O. when the movement was complete.
    Apparently it was so close we sailed down the side o the super tanker with feet to spare.
    Vic

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    Default Re: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

    OSWEGO GUARDIAN and TEXANITA Collision. August 21st 1972.

    For those interested here is another I remember studying when up for Masters. Having an interest in South Africa I later made more notes when stuff on the internet became more readily available,so it is really a random selection of notes that I researched to try and build up a picture of this incident.
    Nothing frightens a seafarer more at sea than the thought of having a collision and catching fire,particularly if you're responsible for forty-odd lives,I'm sure you will agree.

    Here are my notes,looking back at them it was the Tankship Tromedy on the CEDRE site.

    In August 1972]...two Liberian-flag supertankers, the 95,000-ton American-owned Oswego Guardian, fully laden, collided with the 100,000-ton Greek-owned Texanita northeast of Cape Town in the Indian ocean. The Texanita, which was empty, exploded with such violence that it rocked buildings and woke people forty miles inland from the coast, which itself was twenty-three miles distant from the accident. The Texanita broke in two and vanished within four minutes. Thirty-three men died with the Texanita, and one aboard the Oswego Guardian. Both ships were travelling at high speed through fog so dense that the master of the Texanita, who survived, couldn't see the masts of his own ship; although they had observed each other on radar, neither ship reduced speed. Texanita made only two attempts to plot the course of the approaching ship, the second when it was only four miles off, and the Oswego Guardian made no attempt whatever to plot the course of the other ship.
    The chief officer of a Norwegian freighter, the Thorswave, later provided what might be the first electronic eyewitness account of a major maritime disaster. His own ship was in the vicinity and had watched the accident develop on his radar screen. 'I saw these two dots coming closer together together,' he told the Cape Argus in Cape Town. 'Then the two dots came into one. just then we heard this terrific explosion and felt our own ship shake twice. I thought there was something wrong with our own ship because the explosion was so loud. A minute or two after this I saw two dots coming away from each other. Then one dot suddenly disappeared from the screen.'
    Immediately after the collision, the master of the Oswego Guardian ordered his ship at full speed away from the scene.


    One report location gives: 34.30S;21.40E,( 93 km east of Cape Agulhas.)
    A total of 44 lives were lost when the 100,613 dwt Liberian tanker Texanita massively exploded, caught fire, and sank only four minutes after a collision in dense fog with the Liberian steam tanker Oswego Guardian about 50 miles east of Cape Agulhas in lat 34.50S, long 21.13E at 5 AM on August 21, 1972. Ten bodies were recovered from the sea while another 33 crewmen of the Texanita, which was on a ballast voyage from Trinidad to Ras Tanura, remained missing, presumed dead. There were only three survivors from the Texanita, including the master, Captain Juorios Salvuardos. The Oswego Guardian by coincidence on a reverse voayge fully loaded with crude oil from Ras Tanura to Trinidad, lost one crew member. Heavily damaged at the bow, forepeak, and port and starboard shell plating, she was escorted into Cape Town by the salvage tug Arctic for drydocking.




    CEDRE lists this spill at 100,000 tons. But the loaded Oswego Guardian obviously was still operable. South African environmental sources say 8000 to 10000T. Obviously, CEDRE added a zero. One South African source claims 47 casualties.
    It seems extremely unlikely that two big tankers under radar would simply run staight into each other with neither ship doing anything. The fact that the Guardian survived showed she was the hitter, the Texanita was the hittee. The ships, one loaded and one in ballast, were almost certainly on nearly complementary courses originally. At least one ship had to manouever to generate a clear hitter/hitee situation. There is more to the story. We need more info. But one thing we can probably be sure of: the two ships did not talk to each other.


    Some say OG backed off and left scene.
    Photo of OG under repair in Capetown dock shows almost all steel removed back to windlasses in a nearly symmetric fashion, top to bottom.. Apparently she hit at a near 90 degree angle. But damage does not appear to extend back to the collision bulkhead. So where did the spill come from? Also damage extends all the way down to flat bottom. But OG was loaded and Texanita was in ballast. Hooke in his Lloyds List book says OG was headed to Trinidad and Texanita was coming from Trinidad. But Trinidad does not import oil.
    Maybe Texanita was not in ballast. Maybe one or both of these ships was running oil to South Africa, We just dont know.
    Texanita was probably not inerted, but we need confirmation.




    TEXANITA collision 34.50S/21.13E 21.8.72 & blew up 4 minutes later (43 lost + 1 on OSWEGO GUARDIAN)


    OSWEGO GUARDIAN -subsequent fate: Repaired,sold and eventually Broken Up Kaohsiung ,Taiwan 20.6.83

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  7. #14
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    Default Re: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

    An interesting read Graham I always thought that the seas around the cape threw up some very strange results we took a lump of C1 day and in talking to the mate afterwards he had a wall of water come at him about 3M high out at sea like a mini tsunami a lot of years before we ever heard that name I think that all the engineers store team imagined it and turn the Ship by mistake
    Rob Page R855150 - British & Commonwealth Shipping ( 1965 - 1973 ) Gulf Oil -( 1973 - 1975 ) Sealink ( 1975 - 1986 )

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    Default Re: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

    Off the Cape it is quite common to have a "hole in the sea", and that can just destroy a ship in seconds.
    The cold waters of the Benguela curent meet the warm waters of the Aghulas Current, one flows under the other creating a vertical wall of water sometimes up to 100 feet high the ship slides down the slope, hits the wall of water which then folds over and smashes the ship under.
    Many big tankers have had all their deck fittings ripped off, smaller vessels do not recover and go down under ther weight and stay down.
    When I was on the Cape run around to the Gulf we had many warnings about it.

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    Default Re: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

    I only ever saw or heard of this huge trough and a couple of occasions and I'll be perfectly honest I was not aware of it it's only in later years when you hear all the talk of tsunamis that you realise just how powerful the ocean Currents can be .
    Rob Page R855150 - British & Commonwealth Shipping ( 1965 - 1973 ) Gulf Oil -( 1973 - 1975 ) Sealink ( 1975 - 1986 )

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    Default Re: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

    Going around the cape with UCL, the sea looks as calm as, but the Cape Rollers do their stuff and you know all about it.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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    Default Re: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

    I haven't visited this forum for some time as I stopped getting the emails (they were going to my junk folder, probably my fault). I glanced at this thread and ooh Jedforest - I sailed as RO on her a couple of times (though not when the incident below happened). Jed was a lovely ship with a reputation for being 'lucky' unlike her sister Kildare which I also sailed on a couple of times. On one memorable occasion we were transiting Suez light during widening work on the canal. I was on the port bridge wing as we went round a corner where one side had been sloped away as part of the widening work. I think (not being a 'real' sailor how would I know) Jed and Kildare could only transit light and were still close to the maximum size for Suez at the time, instead of slowly turning the corner we went up the sloping bank before sliding back into the water, all very smoothly done but looking down from the bridge I had the weird experience of briefly seeing the water disappear past the bilge keel. There was some damage but I think surprisingly little. I do remember that this incident upset the crew (from Pakistan) a lot as there had been a number of minor 'unlucky' incidents previously - they asked the old man if they could sacrifice a goat to assuage the bad luck!! I cannot remember if he agreed. Long time ago!!


    Quote Originally Posted by Graham Shaw View Post
    Further details :
    The official enquiry conducted at the request of the Commissioner of Maritime Affairs for Liberia,reported that the collision resulted from the fact that neither vessel was using their radar equipment properly,as John says.
    It added that the northbound Venpet in ballast,had breached rules that vessels meeting head on should alter course to starboard ,and that a ship detecting another on her radar in restricted visibility should take avoiding action. Other factors included the unfamiliarity of both masters with VLCC's ,the burden of clerical work on them and the crowded sea lanes in the area off the coast of South Africa.No specific action was taken against either master but it was recommended that both should be required to pass radar simulation courses before being allowed to return to sea again.It was also recommended that the third mates of each vessel should have their licences suspended for a period and that both should undergo radar courses. We British had been doing compulsory radar observation and simulator courses for at least a decade !
    The laden southbound Venoil's crew of 38 were picked off the bow by a Court Line helicopter or picked up from a lifeboat by the British cargo vessel Clan Menzies.Two crew members ,the cook and a firemen had refused to leave the tanker vessel shouting it was too dangerous and perished.
    The 42 crew of Venpet were brought into port by the P and O O.B.O. Jedforest.


    Venoil,
    after repair and sale lasted another 7 years being broken up during the tanker recession in 1984 in South Korea.
    Venpet,repaired,sold and renamed Alexander the Great was hit by an Iraqi Exocet missile in June 84 at Kharg Island,causing her sale and demolition in Taiwan six months later.
    Re the collision, each VLCC carried a machinery and hull insurance of £15.38 million , about 60% of which was placed on the London markets,and the Venpet's huge oil cargo was insured for £16.48 million.

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    Default Re: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

    That's the one that discharged her cargo supposedly in secret off Durban at a SBM in apartheid South Africa then sailed up the West Africa coast where they scuttled her - early 70's.

    - - - Updated - - -

    World Glory, a Niarchos tanker NE of Durban 1968 hit be a freak wave, broke up and sank, only 3 survivors - the C/O, R/O and a deck hand. They were in the water for 24 hours and rescued by a fishing boat

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    Default Re: Tanker wrecks around the South African coast

    This is the one...………….

    Salem (supertanker)


    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


    Salem

    Name: Sea Sovereign (1969–1977)
    South Sun (1977–1979)
    Salem (1979–)

    Owner: Salénrederierna AB (1969–1977)
    Pimmerton Shipping Ltd. (1977–1979)
    Oxford Shipping Incorporated, Houston

    Port of registry: Monrovia
    Builder: Kockums Mekaniska Verkstad, Malmö
    Christened: 1969
    Status: Sank 17 January 1980

    General characteristics

    Class and type: VLCC
    Tonnage: 96,228 GRT
    Length: 316.08 m (1,037.0 ft) (LOA)
    Beam: 48.77 m (160.0 ft)
    Height: 24.50 m (80.4 ft)
    Installed power: 32,000 hp (24,000 kW)
    Propulsion: 1 × Stal-Laval steam turbine
    Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) max
    Crew: 25

    Salem was a supertanker which was scuttled off the coast of Guinea on 17 January 1980, after secretly unloading 192,000 tons of oil in Durban, South Africa. The oil was delivered in breach of the South African oil embargo, and the ship was scuttled to fraudulently claim insurance.[1]


    The tanker, T/T Sea Sovereign, was commissioned in 1969 in Stockholm for Salénrederierna AB and built at the Kockums shipyard in Malmö. In 1977 Salénrederierna sold the tanker to Pimmerton Shipping Ltd. (Liberia), as South Sun and ship management was placed in the hands of Wallem Ship Management Ltd. (Hong Kong). Two years later South Sun was sold to Oxford Shipping Inc. (U.S.). The ship was renamed Salem, but remained under the Liberian flag.

    Loading and sinking

    On 30 November 1979 Salem left the port of Piraeus to load oil in the Kuwaiti port of Mina Al Ahmadi, on behalf of an Italian charterer. She loaded approximately 194,000 tons of light crude oil to be discharged in Genoa. The tanker, with its cargo, was insured at Lloyd's of London. She left Mina Al Ahmadi on 10 December and proceeded down the East African coast. On 27 December under the name Lema she entered the port of Durban, South Africa. There, the ship discharged 170–180,000 tons of cargo, and took on the same amount in ballast water in order to stay on a laden draft. She departed Durban on 2 January 1980. On 17 January 1980, under the name Salem, she was found off the Senegalese coast in distress. The British tanker British Trident rescued the crew of the sinking tanker.

    Fraud

    Four days after leaving the port of Mina Al Ahmadi, the charterers in Genoa sold the cargo to the Shell Group for [US$]56 million. This type of transaction is not uncommon. When the British tanker Trident rescued the shipwrecked Salem crew, it was observed that not only had the crew taken all their belongings in suitcases but they had gone so far as to rescue a number of other items including duty-free goods and sandwiches, although the tanker was supposed to have sunk so quickly, after several explosions, that there was not enough time to save the ship's log. Far more striking was that, despite the ostensible cargo of nearly 200,000 tons of crude oil and having suffered sufficient explosion damage to cause her to sink, there was barely a trace of the vessel left on the surface.

    Aftermath

    After Salem′s loss, Lloyd's of London received an insurance claim of US$56.3 million from the owner of the cargo. It was the largest single claim that Lloyd's had received up to that time. Research by Lloyd's revealed that the South African oil company Sasol, had bought the Lema / Salem cargo in Durban for US$43 million.

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