 Bridgeton, 1993 | |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: |
1976: al-Rekkah 1987: Bridgeton 1997: Pacific Blue |
| Owner: |
1976: Kuwait Oil Tanker Company 1987: Chesapeake Shipping, Inc. before 1997: Keystone Shipping Company 1997: Kafa Navigation Corporation |
| Port of registry: |
1977:  Kuwait1987:  Philadelphia1997:  Panama |
| Builder: | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki |
| Yard number: | 1744 |
| Launched: | August 14, 1976 |
| In service: | 1977 |
| Out of service: | 2002 |
| Identification: |
Callsign 3FSK6 IMO number: 7376915 |
| Fate: | Scrapped by Haryana Ship Demolition, Alang, 2002 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Tank Ship, ULCC |
| Tonnage: |
413,842 DWT 199,430 GT ITC 161,685 NET |
| Length: | 1,158.5 ft (353.1 m) |
| Beam: | 229.9 ft (70.1 m) |
| Draft: | 96.2 ft (29.3 m) |
| Propulsion: | Kawasaki Steam |
| Speed: | 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Notes: | References[1][2] |
MV Bridgeton, ex-al-Rekkah, was a Kuwait Oil Company oil tanker that was reflagged during Operation Earnest Will. Bridgeton was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki and was launched August 14, 1976. The tanker was built as al-Rekkah, renamed Bridgeton and scrapped as Pacific Blue.
On July 24, 1987, Bridgeton was part of the first Earnest Will convoy when it struck an Iranian mine near Farsi Island. The explosion breached the outer hull and the forward cargo tanks. Although the ship was empty, there was an huge oil slick from the oil residue in the tanks. The ship was able to sail on to its destination, thence to Dubai Drydock Shipyard for repair. The mining prompted Operation Prime Chance, a secret effort to stop more minelaying. In September 1987, Iran Ajr was discovered laying mines, was captured and scuttled by U.S. forces.
Some of the reflagged tankers returned to Kuwaiti flags in January 1989, but Bridgeton and several others remained U.S.-flagged.[3]
In the late 1990s, Bridgeton transferred to Panamanian registry and was renamed Pacific Blue.
The supertanker was scrapped in 2002 at Haryana Ship Demolition in Alang, India.
References
- ↑ United States Coast Guard. PSIX data for vessel VN87004830. Accessed August 31, 2008.
- ↑ Auke Visser´s International Super Tankers.
- ↑ "6 Kuwaiti Tankers Reportedly Ending U.S. Flag Protection". Los Angeles Times. January 19, 1989. p. 5.