Page 23 - Insurance Times December 2023

miles of rock covered with trees, shows as only a tiny speck the end of her useful life, she was sold to a third owner,
on the chart of the South Pacific Ocean. Situated halfway Glenara Ltd., and was renamed “Cumberland”, retaining her
between New Zealand and South America, the island offers, Hong Kong registry.
even to this day, the ultimate isolation. On the morning of
12 June 1987, the 37,570-ton MV Cumberland (IMO No: Manned by an Indian crew, she was then immediately taken
7302990) on passage from Newcastle, NSW to the Panama on a time-charter by Furness-Withy, an Australian
Canal, gave her position some 180 miles east north east of Corporation, which had voyage-chartered it to Electrolytic
Pitcairn. Her message was brief and to the point, telling of Zinc Company of Australasia Ltd., another Australian
a critical situation on board. Her two forward holds were Corporation. The phoenix had risen from the ashes, with a
flooded, and she was making all possible speed for the new name, a new insignia on her funnel, but otherwise,
nearest land, the uninhabited Henderson Island, 120 miles apart from a few essential repairs, the Cumberland was still
northeast of Pitcairn. her tired old self. The Cumberland’s chief officer, the first of
her new all Indian crew, joined her in Hakata, Japan on 16
All the Indian crew members from the Cumberland were November, 1986, just nine days before she was handed over
picked up in good condition, although one woman had to to Glenara. He was not impressed with the state of his new
be hoisted aboard on a stretcher, Pitcairn Magistrate Brian ship, which in his stated opinion had suffered years of
Young said. They were rescued by the British freighter Act neglect, particularly on the deck. He found the hull and deck
5, officials said. Radio communications between the rescue plating to be badly corroded in many areas, while below
ship and Pitcairn were conducted in Morse code and further decks bulkheads, tank tops and the ship’s side plates were
details on the crews' condition and why the ship sank were covered with loose rust. The main deck, he reported as
not available soon enough, officials said. covered with a thick coating of fish oil mixed with ore dust,
below which was thick rust. Quite obviously, the Cumberland
The Cumberland began her life in the Hellenic Shipyard at was a victim of the modern approach to ship operation,
Skara manga, Greece in April 1973. She was a BC35 class which spurns anything that might be construed as cosmetic
bulk carrier, British designed medium sized bulk carrier, 647 maintenance.
feet long, equipped with six electric cranes, which allowed
her to be self-sustaining in cargo handling. She had a gross Only the bare minimum of work required to keep the
tonnage of 21,384 tons, and a deadweight of 36,978 tons. insurance in force was carried out, while many pivotal
Her seven holds were hopper shaped to avoid any need for repairs were overlooked upon as making unwarranted
trimming the ore, and were flanked by seven saddle ballast inroads into profit. Since she was already 14 years old, the
tanks. Her Polish built Sulzer diesel engine gave her a service Cumberland was due for a special hull survey, and if she was
speed of 16 knots. to remain in class, and therefore insurable, this could not
be avoided. She entered the dry dock at Ulsan, South Korea
She was first registered in Piraeus under the name “World on January 9, 1987, and nine days later emerged with all
Achilles”, and served her original owners for only twenty her certificates in force. But nothing could disguise the fact
months, before being sold to the ‘Broken Hill Proprietary that the long years on a punishing, nonstop schedule had
Company of Australia’. Renamed “Iron Cumberland”, she taken their toll. She was long overdue for the breaker’s yard,
was then re-registered under the Hong Kong flag in the but before she went, Glenara intended to put her to the
ownership of the ‘County Shipping Company’, a wholly
ultimate test on a long haul Pacific run. Over the following
owned subsidiary of Broken Hill–a flagged out Australian five months, she made three round voyages in quick
ship, in other words. Manned by a full Australian crew, she
succession from Australia to Japan. It was when she was
plied the Australian coastal trade for the next twelve years, returning from Japan in ballast for the third time, that her
much of the time carrying iron ore from Yampi Sound, West
newly joined Indian chief officer, when making a routine
Australia to Port Kembla and Newcastle, NSW. Being a handy inspection of the holds, discovered a six foot long crack in
size and having her own cranes, the Iron Cumberland was the watertight bulkhead separating No.1 and 2 holds. This
ideally suited to this run, but she was inevitably pushed to crack was welded up at sea by the ship’s engineers.
her utmost limits. The passage between ports was only eight
days, the turnaround times fast, and there was little time The Cumberland arrived at Bell Bay, Tasmania, where she
to spare for maintenance, which gradually assumed a very was to commence loading, on 12 May 1987. Here Captain
low priority. The Iron Cumberland grew old and battered in W.G. Kaisar assumed command. With regard to the state
the service of Broken Hill. In December 1986, then nearing of the bulk carrier’s holds, he noted her general condition

The Insurance Times December 2023 21