SS Gari
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | SS Gari |
| Owner | Gaz De Franz |
| Port of registry | London, UK |
| Ordered | 1972 |
| Builder | CNIM-La Syne, France |
| Launched | 1973 |
| Commissioned | 1973 |
| Decommissioned | 1986 |
| Homeport | London |
| Fate | Sold to Brunei in December 1986. |
| History | |
 Brunei | |
| Name | SS Bekulan |
| Owner | Brunei Shell Tankers (1986) Brunei Liquified Natural Gas (2015) |
| Operator | STASCo |
| Port of registry | Muara, Brunei |
| Acquired | 1986 |
| Commissioned | 1986 |
| Decommissioned | 2011 |
| Homeport | Brunei |
| Identification | IMO : 7235939 Call Sign: V8XC |
| Status | Scrapped, in April 2011 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | B-class oil tankers (Brunei) G-class oil tankers (France) |
| Type | Oil tanker |
| Displacement | 51,579 tons |
| Length | 260 m (853 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 35 m (114 ft 10 in) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 2 x Life boats |
SS Bekulan was the third ship of the seven B-class oil tankers. She was also known as her old name “Gari”. She is named after Bekulan, a species of fish found in Brunei and Malaysia.
Development
B-class oil tankers were built by CNIM-La Syne, France in 1972 to 1975. They served Gaz De France for around 14 years, the B-Class vessels were acquired and delivered to BST in December 1986. Previously referred to as the G-Class vessels chartered under Shell Tankers United Kingdom (STUK). They continued to provide reliable service to the Company and its client especially BLNG. 4 out of the 7 BST vessels are manned by a fully Bruneian crew with the exception of senior management; a feat yet to be achieved but not impossible.[1]
All B-Class vessels have an average cargo capacity of 75,000m3 and are certified with the ‘Green Passport’ for the safe carriage of all hazardous materials onboard. All B-class oil tankers were decommissioned in 2011.[2] They are all steam powered.[3]
Construction and career
SS Gadila was ordered in 1972 and completed in 1973.[4] Commissioned in 1973 and decommissioned to be sold in 1986.
August 1980, off Okinawa, Japan, SS Gari received a distress call from a Soviet Russian Echo-class submarine. Crew of Gari quickly jumped into action and assisted the Echo I submarine. The submarine ran into problem with its engine and its dead in the waters. Russia embassy in Tokyo express thanks to the crew of SS Gari.
In 1986, Brunei Shell acquired Gari and renamed her Bekulan. Throughout her career she routinely traveled between Brunei and Japan carrying oil.
7 april 2011 delivered to Jiangyin Ship Recycling, China for scrapping.
Gallery
- SS Gari & SS Bekulan Gallery
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2 telegrams to the SS Gari regarding the incident in August 1980 rescusing a Soviet submarine in distress. -
Newspaper/magazine clipping covering the incident in August 1980 when a soviet submarine was rescued by the SS Gari, relaying the words of the Russian Naval Attache in thanks to the crew. -
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References
- ^ "The Magnificient 7, BST's Crowning Glories" (PDF). BSP Brunei. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "The Shell Fleet" (PDF). Cnooks. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Company History – Brunei Gas Carriers Sdn Bhd". Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ www.marinetraffic.com https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:12832/mmsi:-7235939/imo:7235939/vessel:BEKULAN. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
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