On 2 June 1973, the SS C.V. SEA WITCH lost steering control in New York harbor. The ship moved out of the channel and struck and pene-trated the anchored Belgian tankship SS ESSO BRUSSELS which was loaded with crude oil. The 31,000 barrels of oil from three ruptured tanks ignited and the resulting fire engulfed both ships. The master and two crewmembers died aboard the SEA WITCH. The master and ten crewmembers of the ESSO BRUSSELS died after abandoning ship, one crewmember died aboard ship, and one crewmember is missing. Some nearby beaches were polluted, and damage to the ships and car-go amounted to about $23 million. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause was a me-chanical failure in the steering system of the SEA WITCH and the lack of adequate and timely action by the crew to control their ship after the failure occurred. The cause of the loss of steering was the deficient design of the system which did not provide 'two separate and independent steering control systems' as required by 46 CFR 58.25. The cause of the fire, pollu-tion, and deaths after the collision was that the typically designed bow of the SEA WITCH penetrated the hull of the ESSO BRUSSELS instead of absorbing the crash energy.

IDNo:	5107035	Year:	1960
Name:	ESSO BRUSSELS	Keel:
Type:	Tanker	Launch Date:	26.10.1959
Flag:	BEL	Date of completion:	02.1960

DWT:	40800	Yard No:	442
Length overall:	213.2	Ship Design:
LPP:	202.8	Country of build:	SWE
Beam:	29.7	Builder:	Kockums
Material of build:		Location of yard:	Malmo
Number of screws/Mchy/Speed(kn):	1ST-17

ON	LR/IMO	ID	Year	Name	Tons	Name change	Registered Owner
	5107035	5107035	1960	ESSO BRUSSELS	26843		Esso Belgium
	5107035	5107035	1960	PETROLA XVII	26843	1973	Iphigenia Sg. & Tdg. Corp.
	5107035	5107035	1960	SPIRO	26843	1974	Iphigenia Sg. & Tdg. Corp.
	5107035	5107035	1960	PETROLA XXXVI	26843	1975	John S. Latsis
	5107035	5107035	1960	PETROLA 36	26843	1976	Iphigenia Sg. & Tdg. Corp.