SS ''Bebatik'' was the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of the seven B-class

LNG tanker An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). History The first LNG carrier ''Methane Pioneer'' () carrying , classed by Bureau Veritas, left the Calcasieu River on the Louisiana Gulf coast on 25 January ...

s. She was also known previously as ''Gadinia''. She is named after the bebatik, a species of fish found in

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Development

B-class

LNG carrier An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). History The first LNG carrier ''Methane Pioneer'' () carrying , classed by Bureau Veritas, left the Calcasieu River on the Louisiana Gulf coast on 25 January ...

s were built by CNIM-La Syne,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1972 to 1975. They served

Gaz de France Gaz de France (GDF) was a French company which produced, transported and sold natural gas around the world, especially in France, its main market. The company was also particularly active in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, and other Europea ...

for around 14 years, the B-Class vessels were acquired and delivered to BST in December 1986. Previously referred to as the G-class vessels chartered under Shell Tankers United Kingdom (STUK). They continued to provide reliable service to the company and its client especially BLNG. Four out of the seven BST vessels are manned by a fully

an crew with the exception of senior management; a feat yet to be achieved but not impossible. All B-class vessels have an average cargo capacity of and are certified with the 'Green Passport' for the safe carriage of all hazardous materials on board. All B-class LNG tankers were decommissioned in 2011. They are all steam powered.

Construction and career

SS ''Gadinia'' was ordered in 1972 and completed in the same year. The vessel entered service in 1972 and was taken out of service to be sold in 1986. In 1986, Brunei Shell acquired ''Gadinia'' and renamed her ''Bebatik''. Throughout her career she routinely traveled between Brunei and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

carrying LNG. On 28 April 2018, she was taken out of service and

scrapped Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered me ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

after 45 years of service. She was among the last two in service. An art of her was drawn on one of the walls in the

Billionth Barrel Monument The Billionth Barrel Monument is a monument located in Seria, Brunei. History The monument was built in 1991. It was commemorated by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on 18 July 1991. The monument commemorates the production of the billionth barrel of oil ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gadinia Ships of Brunei Ships built in France 1971 ships