This crude oil tanker was launched on 05.02.1974 as the SUSANNE ONSTAD for the Norwegian company Onstad Shipping Co., Oslo. She was delivered in the same year to her owners Niels Onstad Tankrederi A/S, Oslo and the management was carried out by Onstad Shipping Co., Oslo (Lloyd's Register/IMO No: 7374096, call sign: LNUJ).
In March 1976 the SUSANNE ONSTAD was chartered by a movie company in Hollywood to shoot some scenes for Dino de Laurentis movie "King Kong". For this, she was cruising a few days up and down the coast of California.
In 1980 the tanker was purchased by Alba Corporation, Monrovia. Liberia and the management was conducted by Metrofin Ltd, Zürich. The ship was renamed ARKAS and registered in Monrovia under the flag of Liberia. (official No. 6908, call sign: ELAN8).
The ARKAS was built as hull number 972 by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Tamano, Japan and was a single hull tanker of 138'340 mt DWT (dead weight) on a draught of 17,05 m. She was 271 m long and 44,07 m wide. It must be mentioned, that the accommodations for the crew were of an outstanding, excellent Scandinavian standard.
The propulsion of the ARKAS was by one 8 cylinder, slow-speed, two-stroke, crosshead diesel engine, Burmeister & Wain, type: 8K90GF and manufactured under licence by Mitsui-B & W, Tamano, Japan. The engine was directly coupled to one solid propeller and the power developed was 27'300 BHP, giving the ship a speed of about 16,0 knots.
On a voyage around Cape Hoorn, from Port Gentil (Cape Lopez) to Vina del Mar, Chile, the loaded tanker was caught on 7/8.03.1981 in a sudden, fierce storm, raging between Staten Island and Cape Hoorn. The huge breakers washed the starboard lifeboat overboard (about 12 m above the water line) and damages were sustained on the main deck, especially the deck house mid ships suffered badly. The watertight door of the high expansion foam plant compartment (for engine room fire protection) was torn open and the incoming water poured through the foam ducts into the engine room. Fortunately the crew brought the critical situation quickly under control, a dangerous task to close the doors and flaps on the awash deck, even when attached to a safety line. Not to think of, if the pouring in sea water had put some vital parts of the electrical plant out of operation.
In the evening of 31.03.1982, when steaming up the Mississippi River to her discharge port, the ARKAS collided with the tug/barge composition CREOLE GENII. The collision occurred near La Place, upriver from New Orleans. The tanker was hit on its port side in the cargo wing tank, just forward of the engine room. The crude oil flowing out of the gash, ignited and floated as a burning carpet down the river, causing serious fire damage to the engine room. The pilot managed to beach the vessel on a nearby sand bank and the crew abandoned the ship. The ARKAS was refloated on 09.04.1982 and towed to an anchorage (see also our separate report on this incident).
Subsequently the damaged vessel was sold to Ogden Corporation, New York, USA for a reported 7.75 million USD, and repairs were carried out by Avondale Shipyards, Avondale, New Orleans. After the repairs were completed in 1983, the vessel was renamed OGDEN COLUMBIA and was registered for Ogden Marine Inc., under the US-flag with her home port being New York (new tonnage GRT: 67'856, NRT: 47'634, DWT: 138'699, call sign: KLKZ).
In 1985 the ownership of the vessel was transferred to Ogden Challenger Transport Inc., New York and the management was given to OMI Corporation, New York. The vessel was renamed OMI COLUMBIA, but remained registered in New York.
In 1986 the owners name was changed to OMI Challenger Transport Inc., New York. The management remained unchanged.
In 1989 the name of the management company changed to OMI Bulk Management Co., New York and 7 years later in 1996 it changed again back to OMI Corporation, New York.
In June 1998 the tanker was purchased by Argosy Ventures Ltd, Philadelphia, Pa., USA and the management allocated to Marine Transport Corporation, Weehawken, New Jersey. The ship was renamed MARINE COLUMBIA and the home port was changed to Philadelphia.In 2001 the management was changed to Alaska Tanker Co LLC, Beaverton, Oregon.
During the time under the US-flag, the tanker was transporting Alaskan crude oil from Alaska to the US-West coast.
On 23.03.1999, at the 10th. Anniversary of the EXXON VALDEZ catastrophe, Greenpeace boarded the MARINE COLUMBIA in Richmond in the bay of San Francisco and a banner was displayed, reading "Exxon 1989 - BP Amoco 1999 Hands off Arctic Oil".
In January 2004 the ship was renamed COLUMBIA and in the same year she was sold for demolition to breakers in Bangladesh. She arrived in Chittagong on 28.12.2004 for demolition.
SwissShips MB, HPS, update January 2017