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Berge Istra -berge Venga

23K views 36 replies 23 participants last post by  jackson98 
#1 ·
Hello evryone ,

every body knows about what happened to these two OO ships , but , even on Google , no more is known about what happened to the two survivors ; i spent times to look for their interviews , but nothing found !

anyone has more details to share ?

My father , a second engineer in the french Merchant navy , had to deal with two similar built vessels , the "CHAMPLAIN " and the "LICORNE ATLANTIQUE ",
owned by the French Messageries( around 1979 - 1984 .

Best regards ,

Thierry.
 
#2 ·
The curious thing about the loss of these two ships, four years apart, is that the inquiries were both held behind closed doors, no findings were ever published, and apparently those who attended the inquiries were sworn to secrecy.
Certainly the shipowner has steadfastly refused to release any information to this day.
Inevitably, conspiracy theories have sprung up, the most common one is that these two OBO ships had a designed in method of tapping into the cargo to use as fuel, and something happened to this system causing a massive explosion.
The two survivors of the Berge Istra were apparently painting over the side when they felt the hull become hot, immediately followed by an explosion which threw them both into the sea. One was unconcious, his companion managed to grab a life raft and dragged him aboard.
They survived for 30 days before being rescued by a Japanese fishing boat.

Regards,
Pat
 
#3 ·
The way I remember it Pat was that they were painting on the fo'c'sle head and heard a series of explosions working their way forward. The ship then 'sailed straight beneath the waves' and the crewmen simply floated off. Fortunately the for'd liferaft deployed and they got into it.
 
#6 ·
Read an article about the "Berge Istra". The two survivors had been painting the deck when there was three explosions, they ran to a liferaft and suddenly they where in the water,one of them was knocked out but was requickend in the raft. After the "Venga" accident transporting of oil and iron-ore together was stopped. The article I read was from Dagbladei.com
 
#8 ·
After the "Venga" accident transporting of oil and iron-ore together was stopped.
They never carried the two together. It was oil one way and ore the other or whatever was paying the best freight at the time. What they stopped doing was carrying oil cargoes in ships of that class. I think the explosions were believed to have been caused by gassed up void spaces.
 
#9 ·
Sure it sounds strange. There is not much to tell how it happened but the investigating commitee came up with there was too much oil leftovers before loading iron-ore and goes on to say that transporting these products together will stopped. I dont know anything about these combi-boats, Sounds unrealistic loading both products but that is what it said in the article.
 
#12 ·
Hello Robert, I think there may be a bit lost in translation there. When loaded with ore there may still have been oil residues and possibly even slops on board. Oil could also get into void spaces through pipeline leaks, etc and gas them up. After thorough cleaning and then reverting solely to the ore trade this risk would be removed.
Cheers
Frank
 
#10 ·
The two casualties, coming so close together, nearly destroyed Mr. Bergeson the Owner. It was shortly after the two survivors were rescued that he stood down from the board. It was a really miserable time, I was repairing and supplying cargo and ballast valves to the Bergeson fleet.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Hi Berriet.
I had the misfortune to be "Shanghied" on a sister ship to these two vessels for a maiden voyage. It's name was the Oloibiri, see my comments in Gallery, I'm given to believe "Its" yard number was #13. I am of the opinion that if Ujlianik Shipyard, Pula had built 1113 of them they would all still be C**p.(Cloud) (Cloud) (Cloud)
Apologies if didn't spell yard name correct.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and all SN Members.
Rgds.
 
#17 ·
I should add, jmcg, that it was [then] practice to tank clean with a load of ore on board, so that the sudden loss of any part of the ship's structure would be catastrophic, as was the case with the two survivors, one second the were on the deck; the next they were in th water and there was NO ship to be seen!
 
#18 ·
Quite a few years ago there was a report of a research project into these OBO disasters by one of the classification societies. It suggested that if a concentration of gas in a ballast tank were ignited then the flame would accelerate through successive lightening holes in the transverse floors until ac***ulating sufficient energy to tear the ship asunder.
 
#21 ·
OBO Skauvan Beaufort Sea

I was on an ore carrier in Canada1980 or round about then. I was told to rig an aerial forward on the mast to accommadate an emergency transmitter set up.
The mate a Canadian lad told us the yarn about the Bergistra, how it split in two, so they figured if they was survivors forward of the split they would have, an emergency Radio set up for them. it was'nt a great big ship but it was big enough. An OBO, whilst we was rigging this set up me and this deckhand, well he was really a shoresider whose Mum had got him the job (I kid you not). Anyway the mate had been sounding the tanks, we were carrying a half cargo of deisel for the drilling fleet to fuel off in the Beaufort Sea. When this kid sparks up a ***. On the deck like, I knocked it outa of his hand like, and asked if he had missed the GAINT 'NO SMOKING' SIGN on the fore part of the Accomadation??.
Anyway the Old Man with us was this Blue Flue guy he torn into this kid summat wicked, which in my opionion he deserved (He could have sent us all skyward to meet our final reward).
Anyway needless to say that kid never even took his smokes anywhere near the deck after that. That Blue flue skipper was not a happy camper, wish I had quid for every time he remarked on the crew on that ship, it would have been a nice pay off lol.
6 weeks on 6 off stuck in the ice for the winter and all that, it was like "Ice Station Zebra" But it was good crac you know make the most of it.
After the season was over them young lads was yarning like they where KG5
cowboys and Merch to the bone lol ( I was a young lad meself then, what the hell am I on about lol)

all the best for coming decade(Thumb)

Hughesy
 
#22 ·
I hesitate to contribute to this thread, having spent 7 years on a very similar but larger ship launched by Uljanik in the year of the Berge Istra's demise. The cargo hold/tank arrangement was slightly different in that we had 7 holds and 22 wing tanks. Beneath the holds was a 'void space' running the length of the vessel from the pumproom to the forepeak. Four main cargo lines ran within this space with branches off to the tank/hold suctions. There were no separate stripping lines.
In the third year of operation we began to experience leakage in the piping in way of the vulcan couplings. By use of the ventilation fans and occasional flooding of the space during ballast passages it was kept gas-free most of the time. Effecting repairs at sea was an experience one does not wish to dwell on.
Preparation for carrying iron ore was really no different to normal tank-washing; the holds having very efficient permanent rotating water cannons.
During ore passages the wing tanks remained empty and inerted.
 
#23 ·
Somewhere in SN there are more details about these two incidents .....

Contrary to the initial items in this thread that the findings were all hushed up there were several articles on the theories as to what happened found by the inquiry's.

NAYTIKOS description of the ship he was in lays out pretty much what was found out in developements aboard the Berge boats.

There was voyage maintenance being undertaken in the Duct keel due to hold cracks and or pipeline leaks and it is assumed that that was the source of gas build up and site of the initial explosion which, because the duct keel did not have watertight divisions propagated the whole length of the ship subjecting it to the huge forces involved.... no wonder they sank very very rapidly.

If one had been in a small boat as the ship passed the sight would have been unbelievable .... one minute a huge green bulk ship ploughing along and then a series of explosions and then a liferaft with two men struggling aboard and no ship. Terrible.

There was also the case of the Sinclair Petrolore another but smaller OBO which suffered a very similar fate to the Berge boats....
 
#24 ·
I want to recommend Doddy Hay's book, Beyond Endurance. The Sinking of the Berge Istra.

Published in 1989, it is the story of the two survivors (based on interviews), plus the background information on the ship, the company and several other crewmembers. There is also information on some of the troubles the ship had on the final trips leading up to the disaster.

After having read this book, I was amazed at how much information there was on this topic, which is not available online (considering the hearings were never made public).
 
#31 ·
Fully support the above entry. I have a copy of 'Beyond Endurance' and it is certainly an enlightening read. The Radio Officer on that vessel was Michael Le Marche, originally from Alderney, but, at the time of the explosion, his residence was in Warminster, Wilts. I was at the North Eastern School of Wireless Telegraphy with Michael (Mick) but subsequently joined the R.N. He was a great guy. One wonders, after the passage of so many years, why the facts have not been released.
 
#25 ·
Greetings,

I am sure I read somewhere that the problem was attributed to welding operations in the duct keel coupled to an installed explosimeter reading the quality of the inlet air rather than the exhaust air.
 
#27 ·
What Pat says is about right, this was part of the inquiry's findings, which was based on the comments of the two seamen who were rescued after some 100+ days at sea on a pallet! Was a long time ago and I haven't a copy of the report.
 
#33 ·
MV Berge Istra

Hi John T - tks for reply to thread. I was NESWT vintage 1957/58, Mr. Maclean was chief instructor, Andrew Sniedze, Ray Pilgrim also helped. Others a.t.t. Keith Appleyard - he submitted the group photo on NESWT site. Tony Edison, Jim Tomlinson, Ben Ford, Ian Nicholson - in fact all those people mention in my submission to NESWT blurb. And of course Michael (Mick) Le Marche. Angela Firman, George Dawes, Chris Chambers (met him later after I had joined GCHQ Cheltenham). Ken Galloway, Roger Huxley - memory fails at this point but there are many faces on that photo whose names i don't recall. Good to hear from you - what were your dates at NESWT. Best wishes Pete Jackson
 
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