Venoil Disaster December 1977

The Venoil was a massive Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) constructed by Mitsubishi at their Nagasaki shipyard in Japan.

Completed in early 1973 for Venoil Inc., the vessel was a titan of its era, measuring 340 meters in length with a deadweight tonnage of 330,954. Flying the Liberian flag, it was powered by a steam turbine system capable of 26,856 kW.

While it later sailed under the names Resolute and Opportunity in the early 1980s, the ship is most remembered for a catastrophic maritime disaster that occurred on December 16, 1977. While on a ballast voyage off the coast of South Africa, in thick fog  the Venoil collided with its sister ship, the Venpet, in a high-seas accident that ignited a massive inferno and created a substantial oil slick visible for miles.

The collision was a harrowing event that required a massive rescue operation 22 miles off Port Elizabeth. As the tankers burned, a helicopter pilot managed to rescue men trapped by the flames on the Venoil, while the remaining crew navigated lifeboats through thick black smoke and burning oil before being intercepted by the bulk carrier Jedforest. Sadly, two lives were lost in the disaster.

Following the tragedy, the Venoil was towed to Algoa Bay to transfer its remaining cargo before undergoing extensive repairs in Japan.

The ship’s long journey finally came to an end in 1984; after a brief period operating as the Opportunity, it arrived at Ulsan, South Korea, where it was scrapped in October of that year.

Source: Global Ship Guide