# MV TERE



## benjidog

*MV Wellpark*

Discussion thread for MV Wellpark. If you would like to add a comment, click the New Reply button


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## benjidog

I am looking for assistance on this SN Guide please.

I have a lot of information to add about the facts and figures of the vessel and her involvement in the rescue of Vietnamese people but am struggling to find out much about her service history.

Can anyone fill in details about what she did during her career and what her final fate was - I presume she is gone by now.

Regards,

Brian


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## DCMARINE

benjidog said:


> I am looking for assistance on this SN Guide please.
> 
> I have a lot of information to add about the facts and figures of the vessel and her involvement in the rescue of Vietnamese people but am struggling to find out much about her service history.
> 
> Can anyone fill in details about what she did during her career and what her final fate was - I presume she is gone by now.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Brian


See www.miramarshipindex.org.nz for history of all the Wellparks.
Donald Campbell


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## benjidog

Thanks DCMarine. I have added what was in Miramar to the entry but there wasn't much.

I was hoping that someone would know a little more about the details of how Wellpark was used, routes etc. and her service since change of name.

If anyone has anything to add to what is already in the Directory entry I would be grateful if they contacted me by PM.

Regards,

Brian


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## pentlandpirate

*Denholm News Winter 1981-*

Does anyone have copies of the Denholm News magazines dating from late 1981 onwards?

Or news on the launch of Wellpark which I think may have been named by Sarah(?) Denholm?

Or does anyone have information on Wellpark once she was re-named "Ga Chau", "Nava Avra" and "Avra D"?


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## benjidog

I couldn't find any of the stuff you are looking for on the 'net Pirate but hopefully someone else can help.

You are doing a great job on the Directory entry by the way.

Brian


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## Fenton

pentlandpirate said:


> Does anyone have copies of the Denholm News magazines dating from late 1981 onwards?
> 
> Or news on the launch of Wellpark which I think may have been named by Sarah(?) Denholm?
> 
> Or does anyone have information on Wellpark once she was re-named "Ga Chau", "Nava Avra" and "Avra D"?


Hi - Again !!

I'll ask my mam and Dad kept loads of the Denolm mags in the loft, will have a look.

Carmel


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## paisleymerchant

I joined the Wellpark on her maiden voyage in Hiroshima as Catering Boy i may be wrong but I think we sailed from Japan to Argentina for the first trip
(remember this is a long time ago and memory is hazy) I do recall visiting Mollendo and Lima (Peru) and also visiting Brisbane Newcastle and Perth in Australia (which was where I paid off after 7 months).
I rejoined her well after the boat people incident this was when all the cadets had been taken off her


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## jasmacpm

paisleymerchant said:


> ..... this was when all the cadets had been taken off her


Does anyone know when/why the cadets were removed, last cadets, etc?

Jimmy.


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## pentlandpirate

Was it post 1983 when Denholm had stopped (or at least slashed) recruiting and training due to the recession in Merchant shipping, and British ships were being re-registered under flags of convenience?


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## jasmacpm

Hi, Pentland Pirate,

I think you will be right,as regards post 1983, when I finished with Denholms myself.
Enjoyed reading much of your work, by the way. One day I will dig out my old Denholm News and some of the letters I wrote home and see if I can add to your info.


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## jasmacpm

I have autumn 79, winter/spring 81, summer 82 & 83.

Jimmy.


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## jasmacpm

Info from Denholm News, if you haven't yet acquired? -

Summer 82
Wellpark 
The phosphate cargo loaded at Taft was discharged Navlakhi from 7th July10 10th August. From Navlakhi vessel proceeded to Durban where she drydocked for seven days and then loaded a cargo maize in Durban for discharge Kaohsiung. From Kaohsiung the vessel proceeded to Christmas Island to load a cargo of phosphate for New Zealand discharging at Lyttleton, Bluff and Nelson. Her next employment was a cargo of coal loaded at Brisbane for discharge at Kanda. 
Wellpark arrived Kanda on New Year’s Day and sailed 9th January for Nauru to load phosphates for discharge at four ports in New Zealand, namely Lyttleton, Timaru, Bluff and Dunedin. 
Vessel then proceeded to Brisbane where a cargo of grain was loaded for discharge Singapore in the middle of March. 
Senior personnel at present on board are Captain Blackie and Chief Engineer Bissett. 

Summer 83
Wellpark 
Completed discharge of her cargo of urea at Shanghai and sailed on 16th 
November. After a short period at anchor awaiting orders the vessel was fixed on time-charter to Ben Line for a voyage from the Far East to the U.K. and Continent. A very intensive loading schedule was followed at ports in Sabah, the 
Philippines, Sarawak, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, completing at Port Kelang on 18th January. 
The relatively small complement of the vessel is to be congratulated on their attention to duty during this very exacting loading period. 
While steaming off Crete the vessel was struck by a freak sea which carried away some of the chain lashing securing the deck cargo of timber in way of number 1 hatch, necessitating that she diverted into Valetta on 8th February to re-stow and re-secure the cargo. She left Valetta on 12th February for Liverpool where she arrived on 20th February to commence part discharge, later sailing on 9th March for Rotterdam to discharge the balance of the cargo. 





pentlandpirate said:


> Does anyone have copies of the Denholm News magazines dating from late 1981 onwards?
> 
> Or news on the launch of Wellpark which I think may have been named by Sarah(?) Denholm?
> 
> Or does anyone have information on Wellpark once she was re-named "Ga Chau", "Nava Avra" and "Avra D"?


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## pentlandpirate

Thanks Jimmy. Will add it to the history!


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## Roger Jordan

The following particulars, history and example voyages for WELLPARK might be of interest. The data are from Lloyd’s Register, Lloyd’s Confidential Index, Lloyd’s Shipping Index, and from sale and purchase brokers in London

Particulars
IMO number 7601451
Signal letters GVUE
Port of registry Glasgow
18,622 tons gross, 11,233 tons net, 29,554 tonnes deadweight
Length overall 170.01 m, breadth extreme 27.26 m, breadth moulded 27.21 m, summer draught 10.215 m, depth 14.1 m
Grain capacity 39,508 cu m, bale capacity 41,553 cu m
Prime mover: Mitsubishi/Sulzer 1 x 6RND76 2-stroke single acting in line 6-cylinder diesel, 8948 kW, 12,165 bhp @ 122 rpm (bunkers diesel 386 tonnes, high viscosity fuel 1,781 tonnes)
Speed at trials 15.5 knots
Fitted with one crane 25 tonnes SWL, 3 cranes each 15 tonnes SWL
Fitted out as cadet training ship

History
20.1.77 keel laid by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, Hiroshima (ship number 275)
17.3.77 launched
30.6.77 delivered to Denholm Line Steamers Ltd (manager Denholm Ship Management Ltd) (contract price $11,914,353)
1984 renamed GA CHAU (Hong Kong registration)
1989 transferred to Ga Chau Shipping Co Ltd (manager Denholm Ship Management (Overseas) Ltd)
3.90 reported “refurbished again” for cadet training
1994 sold to Heather Maritime Ltd, Limassol, Cyprus (manager/operator Sitinas Shipping Co, Piraeus), renamed NAVA AVRA (Cyprus flag) (sale price $5,750,000)
(9.94) reported delivered to Heather Maritime Ltd
1994 tonnage changes 18,328 gross, 10,914 net 
4.99 sold to Passway Shipping Co Ltd, Cyprus (manager Baru Delta Maritime Inc, Piraeus), renamed AVRA D (Cyprus flag) (sale price $1,550,000)
7.04 sold to Firstec Maritime Ltd, Hong Kong (manager/operator Shanghai Adani Shipping Co Ltd, Shanghai), renamed FIRSTEC (Hong Kong China flag) (sale price $4,000,000)
28.7.04 Cyprus registry closed

Her current P&I cover is with West of England Ship Mutual, with which the vessel appears to have been since new
She was first classed with Lloyd’s Register, but this was withdrawn in 8.95 and WEF 10.8.95 she has been classed with American Bureau of Shipping. 

Example voyages
WELLPARK
9.10.77 sd Callao for Corpus Christi, passed Panama Canal 14.10.77 (had unspecified casualty, first reported in Lloyd’s List 20.8.77 and last report in Lloyd’s List 13.10.77)
5.6.81 sd New Orleans for Navlakhi, ar 19.7.81 (in collision 17.7.81, first reported in Lloyd’s List 24.7.81)
25.11.82 sd Tawau for Liverpool and Rotterdam
8.2.83 ar Malta for weather damage repairs (first reported in Lloyd’s List 9.2.83)
2.6.83 sd Galveston for ?
GA CHAU
26.11.86 sd Bombay for Durban, ar Richards Bay 10.12.86
27.7.87 sd Port Lincoln for Oman
4.4.88 ar Adelaide from Gladstone
31.1.89 sd Jeddah for Ningbo, sd Singapore 15.2.89 (eta Ningbo 23.2.89
14.1.91 sd Buenos Aires for Vancouver, sd San Lorenzo (Argentina) 17.2.91
1.11.92 sd Mina Qaboos for Damman, ar 8.11.92
13.6.92 sd Singapore for Kandla
7.4.93 sd Adelaide for UAE
2.5.93 sd Mina Qaboos, sd Fujairah Anchorage 3.5.93 for ?
18.8.93 sd Newcastle NSW for Mina Qaboos, ar 15.9.93
NAVA AVRA
1.11.95 sd Rouen for Algeria, ar (and sd) Falmouth Bay 2.11.95 for bunkers
7.2.96 sd Houston for Durban, ar 12.3.96
19.4.96 sd Santos for Salvador
6.11.96 sd New Orleans for Puerto Quetzal, passed Panama Canal 14.11.96
19.1.98 sd Singapore for Philippines
10.4.98 sd Port Angeles for Uruguay
21.6.98 sd Buenaventura for Balboa
20.9.98 sd Vancouver for ?
22.11.98 sd San Lorenzo (Argentina) for Venezuela
AVRA D
12.6.2002 sd Corpus Christi for Mexico
FIRSTEC
According to a Lloyd’s Register contact “still going strong”


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## jasmacpm

Hi, Pentland Pirate,
saw your addition to Wellpark Directory - now named "Firstec" - doesn't quite have the same ring to it, eh? Anyway, I take it you searched for an up to date picture of it? Yes/no? - anyway, see link-

http://www.dasco.com.cn/images/ship/firstec.jpg

Looks a bit worse for age, but no doubts all that chipping, scraping and painting has saved her from an early grave.

Now part of Adani Shipping (China) Co., Ltd. 
Jul. 2004 MV.FIRSTEC joined in the fleet. Number of ship in the fleet became 16. 
Interesting she ended up "there", as I was on her as a cadet when she went to Tsingtao and Hsingkang.


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## pentlandpirate

Yes, that was my reaction too, on both scores. When I saw 'Firstec' I thought why have they named it after a little computer techie shop I know in Wilmslow? But I also thought, yes, all that chipping and painting and sudgeying down must have helped her look reasonably smart 27 years later. You can just about see th Denholm crest cut into the bow, but now covered in black paint. But it is nice to know where she is, and that she is still going, and not cut up. I suppose she was quality built. I bet the Chinese crew love the accomodation, Where else will they have a cabin each, and some to spare?

Thanks Roger for the lead.


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## pentlandpirate

If you see the Directory, Correspondance from wellpark, you can now read the story as seen through the eyes of an 11 year old Vietnamese girl as they escaped from Vietnam


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## johnmar

I stood by the Wellpark in Horoshima from May 1977.Paid off in Freemntle in Jan.1978. A great ship to be on.


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## highland hun

Joined wellpark in Singapore on my first trip in March 82 when she was still a cadet boat,Voyage went Singapore ,Albany,Freemantle,Lisbon,maybe Rotterdam then up Saint Lawerence where I paid off in August 82.Joined her Again in 84 when cadets no longer there did 7 months then,when i get hold off my discharge book will update a bit better ,Great ship great times.I bet who ever bought her will not have to put much paint on topsides!!!!


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