The Bulk Carrier “Castillo de Atienza” (1989-1993)

In May 1989, the fleet of the National Company Elcano of the Merchant Navy was increased with three second-hand bulk carriers, purchased from Naviera Vizcaína, which had just been acquired by Repsol, along with other countermeasures in the freights of oil tankers. These were the vessels “Ea”, “Ermua” and “Urduliz”. The first of them, without changing its name, was sold in December of that same year to the Cypriot company Shipping Produce Co. Ltd. and was renamed “Vakis T”, while the second was renamed “Castillo de Atienza” and the third, “Castillo de Quermensó”.

Construction number 188 from the Astilleros Españoles factory in Sestao (Vizcaya), this ship was originally contracted by a Greek shipowner who rescinded the contract while it was in the fitting-out phase. At that moment, Naviera Vizcaína became interested and negotiated with the shipyard the transfer price, being named “Ermua” – captain, Antón Aurre Elorrieta – and entered service in May 1973, becoming part of the Iberbulk consortium.

Before leaving the shipyard, the odd-numbered holds were adapted for container transport, which allowed it to be chartered to the company Cast, based in Antwerp, for container traffic between Europe, the USA, and Canada, making outbound trips with full containers and return trips with American coal in its even-numbered holds and empty containers in the odd-numbered ones. In this way, as explained by naval engineer Javier Ferrer de Arellano, the ship effectively covered its ballast with cargo. In 1982, after the charter with Cast ended, the holds were treated for grain loading, starting trips from Argentina and the USA to Spain chartered by Sesostris, Continental, and Ferruzzi, alternating trips for the import of thermal coal for ENSIDESA.

On the night of April 5, 1984, it suffered a fire in a storeroom while it was in the port of Rosario (Argentina), where it had arrived to load 30,000 tons of corn. When the on-duty personnel noticed, they attempted to fight it while alerting the rest of the crew, and the fire department of that city arrived. When the hatches and windows of the ship were broken, the intensity of the flames increased with the circulation of air, partially destroying the ship's accommodation. Unfortunately, three crew members died from asphyxiation: Jon Andoni Urruticoechea, second deck officer; José Ignacio Angulo, third deck officer; and Claudio Seoane, radioelectronic officer.

Since the ship was half-loaded and there were no unloading facilities in Rosario, a temporary repair was made so that communication could be established between the bridge and the engine control, which was not affected by the fire, as well as the adaptation of some cabins so that the ship could leave Rosario and complete the loading in Bahía Blanca, returning to Spain under very precarious conditions. After unloading the ship, a total renovation of the accommodation area was carried out at the Astilleros Españoles factory in Cádiz, and in August of that year, it returned to service.

The presence of the ship “Castillo de Atienza” in the Elcano fleet, where it participated in coal traffic, lasted until 1993, when it was sold to the Cypriot company Waterford Marine Co. Ltd. From then on, it bore the name “Pioneer Star” in what would be its third and final stage, as in February 1998 it was sold for scrap in Pakistan.

With a gross tonnage of 27,312 tons, a net tonnage of 19,292 tons, and a deadweight of 53,488 tons, it measured 206.86 m in overall length – 194.32 m in length between perpendiculars – 29 m in beam, 18 m in depth, and 13.27 m in draft. It had seven holds with a capacity of 68,915 cubic meters and was powered by a Sulzer 6RD90 engine, manufactured under license at AESA workshops in Sestao, with a power of 15,000 horsepower on a shaft and maintained a speed of 15 knots. IMO Code 7303798.

Photo: Empresa Naviera Elcano