User:Maralia/Esso Maracaibo II

The Esso Maracaibo II was an oil tanker that operated out of Venezuela between 1959 and 1976. The tanker was involved in a serious incident in 1964 when she crashed into the General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge, causing a section of the bridge to collapse. Seven lives were lost.

The tanker was formerly the United States Navy gasoline tanker USS Narraguagas, bought by Compania de Petroleo Lagos in 1947. Operated by Creole Petroleum Company, the Esso Maracaibo II was used to transport crude oil from Lake Maracaibo to a refinery at Aruba.

On April 6 1964 while navigating the channel between Lake Maracaibo and the Gulf of Venezuela, the Esso Maracaibo II lost steering due to major electrical failure. The tanker was carrying 236,000 barrels of crude oil. Maracaibo's crew dropped anchor and attempted to beach her on sand bars in the canal. They were unsuccessful, and at 11:45 pm the tanker collided with pier #31 of the General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge. A 259 meter section of the bridge completely collapsed, a large section landing directly across the bow of the tanker only a few feet from her superstructure. Seven people died in total, from four vehicles that fell from the bridge.

There was no loss of life or serious injury on the tanker, and no explosion or fire. No oil spill occurred. The bridge, which was only two years old, was repaired over a period of eight months.

In 1976, ownership transferred to Lagoven S.A. and the tanker was renamed Lagoven Maracaibo. She arrived at National Ship Demolition in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on June 20 1985 for scrapping.