MS Berge Istra: Difference between revisions
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To this day, 30 years later, the shipping company maintains secrecy with regards to the cause of the accident. The most prominent theory holds that the cause could have been explosions caused by oil residue in the cargo compartments that were filled with iron ore. MS ''Berge Istra'' was, like its sister ship [[MS Berge Vanga|MS ''Berge Vanga'']] which disappeared under similar circumstances four years later, a ship which could transport both oil and iron ore. After these two disappearances no more combination ships like this were built, and oil was never again transported alongside ore. |
To this day, 30 years later, the shipping company maintains secrecy with regards to the cause of the accident. The most prominent theory holds that the cause could have been explosions caused by oil residue in the cargo compartments that were filled with iron ore. MS ''Berge Istra'' was, like its sister ship [[MS Berge Vanga|MS ''Berge Vanga'']] which disappeared under similar circumstances four years later, a ship which could transport both oil and iron ore. After these two disappearances no more combination ships like this were built, and oil was never again transported alongside ore. |
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I was a Public Affairs Superintendent (USAF) stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa when the Berge Istra disappearance occurred. News media representatives from around the world converged on Kadena Air Base where our office hosted their press conferences. Some of the media reps and I were part of the search mission as we scoured the Philippine Sea for traces of the huge ship, not knowing at that time the disaster that had happened hundreds of miles southwest of our search area. |
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When Mssrs Leon and Lopez were rescued by the Japanese fishermen they were eventually brought to Okinawa where our office hosted a major press event. The two survivors told their dramatic story of survival. They had been charged with the task of painting a portion of the ship's hull. Around suppertime, while the rest of the crew was dining, Leon and Lopez, who were strapped over the side of the ship, continued applying paint. Suddenly, as they recalled, the ship's hull began to crackle and groan. Abruptly this changed to the "skin" growing hot and taking on a dull orange glow followed by a tremendous explosion. When they became aware of what had happened one of the survivors found himself lifting his naked crewmate aboard a life raft where they survived the elements, thirst and hunger for three weeks. |
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At that time there was a "theory" that the Berge Istra had a network of pipelines throughout the ship that channeled propane or natural gas to applicable energy needs components. An engine room combustion anomaly purportedly had ignited this potentially tumultuous creation causing the catastrophe. |
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==Source== |
==Source== |
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Revision as of 03:10, 4 June 2010
The MS Berge Istra was a ship owned by Norwegian shipping company Sig. Bergesen d.y. and registered in Liberia, an ore-bulk-oil carrier with 227,550 t DWT DWT uses unsupported parameter (help). The ship had build number 296 at the Uljanik shipyard in the port city Pula in Croatia where it was built in 1972.
The ship was on route from Tubarão in Brazil to Japan with iron ore when contact was lost with the vessel in the Pacific (near the island Mindanao, Philippines) on December 30, 1975. After one week, on January 7, 1976, the ship was reported missing, but the ensuing search operation yielded no results and was called off on January 10 of that year. 30 people lost their lives. There were two survivors, Spanish citizens Imeldo Barreto Leon (41) and Epifanio Lopez (39), who were picked up from a raft on January 20, 1976 by Japanese fishermen.
To this day, 30 years later, the shipping company maintains secrecy with regards to the cause of the accident. The most prominent theory holds that the cause could have been explosions caused by oil residue in the cargo compartments that were filled with iron ore. MS Berge Istra was, like its sister ship MS Berge Vanga which disappeared under similar circumstances four years later, a ship which could transport both oil and iron ore. After these two disappearances no more combination ships like this were built, and oil was never again transported alongside ore.
Source
- Meland, Astrid (2006-01-03). "Skipet som forsvant (The ship that disappeared)". Dagbladet Magasinet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2006-09-24.
- Visser, Auke. "Auke Visser's International Super Tankers (images & details)". Retrieved 2007-05-22.