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History
By Mr. Paul Bois, doctor, great specialist of the ships chronology !
From his book: "La flotte des navires citernes français" ( the french tankers fleet)
Also special thanks to Jérome Billard, auteur of several French Maritime books.
Société Fenaille et Despeaux, 1880, Owner was Maurice Fenaille. name changed later in La Pétroléenne.
Companies get together with Standaard;L’Economique SA” in “La Pétroléenne - L’Economique, 1920.
Standard Française des Pétroles, 1936.
Standard Française des Pétroles, Esso SAF, 1952.
The Société Auxiliaire de Transports was founded in 1920 at Le Havre in view to take over the old firm
Fenaille & Depeaux. It was a daughter company of Standard of New Jersey. At first the company
operates the steam lighter AJAX and COSMOS on river Seine to supply greasing oil to Rouen
and Paris areas. In 1925 due to new French regulations, the capital of the company increased
by a major controlling interest of the Standard oil of New Jersey and the head office settles in Paris,
82 Champs Elysées.
The company purchases three tankers, JULES CAMBON, MARGUERITE FINALY, and
JOHN J. HOFF from the mother company and PETROLEINE from the British subsidiary. From 1926,
Bordeaux shipyards delivers the GENERAL GASSOUIN, especially built to carry various sorts of
greasing oil in bulk. The tanks fitted with heating spirals. The ship is propelled by a diesel engine.
Of course she is a very outstanding ship for the time. In spite of her medium size, she had a career
of 27 years with Esso, followed by further 13 years as a cargoship for foreign owners. These four large
ocean tankers are laid up during the dreadful economical crisis of 1929 then promptly sold abroad.
The Societe Auxiliaire de Transports purchases in 1930 the asphalt tanker STANASFALT and three
yeas later PETROPHALT. A second one MARGERITE FINALY is delivered by the Italian shipyards
of Montafalcone. She is one of several sister ships ordered for different daughter companies of the
Standard Group. she is also the best tanker of the French fleet propelled by two diesel engines.
Coasting traffic of refined products increases at such a level that the JUNIATA is transferred from
British to French flag and the motor coastal tanker LEON MARTIN is ordered from Chantiers de
Normandy at grand Quevilly, river Seine.
At her delivery in 1936 the Juniata returned to the British flag. At the outbreak f the second World
War the fleet of Standard Française des Pétroles has five tankers: the large ocean ship
MARGUERIT FINALY, the multi purpose tanker GENERAL GASSOUIN, the two asphalt carrier
STANASFALT and PETROPHALT and the coaster LEON MARTN.
At the end of the war, PETROPHALT is given back to France, by British authorities, MARGUETE
FINALY and GENERAL GASSOUIN return to service after repairs, STANASFALT and LEON MARTIN
are reported as war losses.
From 1947 1948 the three T2 type tankers ESSO FRANCE, ESSO NORMANDIE and ESSO
BRETAGNE enter the fleet as well as the two coasters ROCHE MAURICE and PORT JEROME
the latter being similar to LEON MARTIN. Then in 1950, three other tankers ESSO LANGUEDOC,
ESSO PICARDIE and ESSO GASCOGNE are transferred to the French flag from the Panamanian
daughter company of Standard oil of New Jersey. They are similar to MARGUERITE FINALY that
resumes service in 1949 as ESSO PROVENCE. In 1952 Standard Française des Pétroles is
renamed Esso-standard S.A.F. and from this day, all the ships are named with an Esso prefix.
The company undertakes the improving of the asphalt carrier ESSO LE CAROUBIER delivered
in 1952 by a Dutch yard, the two giant tankers of the time ESSO PARIS and ESSO FRANCE
built at Saint-Nazaire. These two tankers are propelled by turbine steam engines no other oil
engines being able to supply the required power.
Oil discovery at Parentis in 1954 by Esso made the action soar. In January 1955 the coaster
ESSO LE CAROUBIER brought to Le Havre, the first cargo of 2400 tons of French crude oil.
Four tankers joined the fleet from 1958 to 1961, the fourth one delivered as ESSO LORRAINE
has a DWT 48 000 tons, the three others ESSO PARENTIS, ESSO BOURGOGNE and ESSO
ALSACE remaining in the class of the previous new build ships.
The generation of very large crude carriers is introduced in 1969 at the delivery of the new
ESSO PARIS.
And later ESSO BRETAGNE, ESSO PROVENCE, ESSO GASCOGNE, ESSO LANGUEDOC,
ESSO NORMANDIE, ESSO PICARDIE and ESSO FLANDRES ex ESSO ROTTERDAM.
A new ESSO PORT JEROME and ESSO PARENTIS in 1980 entered in the fleet.
Bergesen is negotiating an agreement to purchase two VLCCs built in 1974 and
1976, from Esso Société Anonyme Francaise, which will charter back the vessels
at fixed rates for the period until they are 25 years of age. The vessels
will continue to have French flag (Kerguelen). The proposed deal is being
discussed with French government authorities and is subject to completing
the consultation process with ESAF Works Councils.
Assuming final agreement is reached, both contracts would be effective in
early 1997. The total purchase price is USD 25 million.
Esso France forms tanker operating subsidiary
Esso France has set-up Green Tankers to operate two tankers it is time-chartering.
Esso France's last two tankers, the Alsace (278,726-dwt tanker built in 1974) and
the Picardie (274,467-dwt tanker built in 1976), were sold recently to Bergesen
d.y. A/S, removed from the French register and renamed the Berge Charlotte and
the Berge Helene, respectively. Green Tankers, at Rueil Malmaison, France, near
Paris, will oversee the operation of the two.
Bergesen Dy has announced its intention to convert a second of its ageing tanker
fleet into an FPSO. The 1975 built 274,467 dwt VLCC Berge Hus is expected to be
ready for operation in the first half 2000.
The yard has not yet been selected, but the Norwegian owner does hold options for
second and third conversions at Jurong Shipyard Ltd (JSL) following the earlier
order for conversion of Berge Charlotte at the Singapore yard.
Work on the 1974-built 274,333dwt Berge Charlotte is already well underway and
redelivery is scheduled for the autumn. Bergesen originally specified a generic
FPSO conversion to make the vessel suitable for a wide range of fields and
applications, but has since firmed up a charter with Triton for operation on the
Ceiba field off Equatorial Guinea. Life extension work will allow it to operate
on station for ten years without docking, and the conversion work will prepare
it for full field development.
Date: 20.6.2001
Third VLCC to become FPSO
Next candidate for Bergesen Offshore's magic hands is Berge Helene. She is
currently laid up outside Malaysia where preparations for conversion are being
made. The actual yard conversion of the VLCC into an FPSO starts around the end
of the year.
The future FPSO Berge Helene is scheduled to be ready for the market mid 2002.
She is planned to be converted as a generic FPSO, meaning that she will have
the same standard parameters as Sendje Berge with a production capacity of
60,000 barrels per day. The vessel is being marketed for operators in West
Africa together with the FPSO Sendje Berge.
"We are working on three-four alternatives for Sendje Berge. All of these
are in West Africa - in Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria. We hope that
we will know which way to go within a couple of months," says Svein Olsen,
director of Bergesen Offshore. He adds that some of Sendje Berge's potential
customers may be candiates for Berge Helene.
"I'm not worried about converting another tanker on speculation. The market
is currently very promising," Olsen says.
Berge Helene was built in 1975 at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in France. She
was built for Esso and launched as Esso Picardie. In 1997, the VLCC was
purchased by Bergesen and since then she has been managed by The Green
Tankers. Until recently, she was registed in TAAF, but now the future FPSO
has joined the Bahamian registry.
The VLCC was due for fifth special survey in May, but it was decided to lay
her up for six months instead of taking the costs with the survey. The docking
costs were estimated to amount to around USD 2.5 million.