SS Bekulan was the third ship of the seven B-class oil tankers. She was previously known as Gari. She is named after the bekulan, a species of fish found in Brunei and Malaysia.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | SS Gari |
| Owner | Gaz De Franz |
| Port of registry | London, UK |
| Ordered | 1972 |
| Builder | CNIM-La Syne, France |
| Launched | 20 November 1972 |
| In service | 1973 |
| Out of service | 1986 |
| Homeport | London |
| Fate | Sold to Brunei in December 1986 |
 Brunei | |
| Name | SS Bekulan |
| Owner |
|
| Operator | STASCo |
| Port of registry | Muara, Brunei |
| Acquired | 1986 |
| In service | 1986 |
| Out of service | 2011 |
| Homeport | Brunei |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped in April 2011 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type |
|
| Displacement | 51,579 tons |
| Length | 260 m (853 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 35 m (114 ft 10 in) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 2 x lifeboats |
Development
editB-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. Four out of the seven 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 75,000 m3 (470,000 bbl) and are certified with the 'Green Passport' for the safe carriage of all hazardous materials on board. All B-class oil tankers were taken out of service in 2011.[2] They are all steam powered.[3]
Construction and career
editSS Gari was ordered in 1972 and completed in 1973.[4] The vessel entered service in 1973 and was taken out of service to be sold in 1986.
In August 1980, off Okinawa, Japan, Gari received a distress call from a Soviet Russian Echo-class submarine. The crew of Gari moved to the and assist the submarine. The submarine ran into problem with its engine and was dead in the water. The Russian Embassy in Tokyo expressed its thanks to the crew of Gari.
In 1986, Brunei Shell acquired Gari and renamed her Bekulan. Throughout her career she routinely traveled between Brunei and Japan carrying oil. On 7 April 2011, Bekulan was delivered to Jiangyin Ship Recycling, China for scrapping.
Gallery
edit- SS Gari & SS Bekulan Gallery
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Two telegrams to SS Gari regarding the incident in August 1980 aiding a Soviet submarine in distress. -
Newspaper/magazine clipping covering the incident in August 1980 when a Soviet submarine was aided by SS Gari, relaying the words of the Russian Naval Attache in thanks to the crew. -
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References
edit- ^ "The Magnificient 7, [sic] BST's Crowning Glories" (PDF). BSP Brunei. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ "The Shell Fleet" (PDF). Cnooks. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ "Company History – Brunei Gas Carriers Sdn Bhd". Retrieved 2020-08-02.
- ^ "Ship BEKULAN (LNG Tanker) Registered in Brunei - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 7235939, MMSI -7235939, Call Sign V8XC". www.marinetraffic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.