AH-WR-1297

MV Superior Producer

Coastal Cargo Ship · Panama · Lost 1977 · The Lesser Antilles

A Panamanian freighter that capsized under an overloaded holiday cargo just outside Willemstad harbour in 1977.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Superior Producer was a small coastal freighter running cargo between Curaçao and Venezuela. Loaded with an oversized shipment of holiday merchandise in September 1977, she began listing as soon as she left Willemstad harbour and sank within minutes. All nine crew escaped safely, and the wreck became one of Curaçao's best-known dive sites.

Vessel

Built: 1957
Registry: IMO 5345431
Builder: Handel- & Scheepsbouw Maatschappij Kramer en Booy
Yard: Kootstertille, Netherlands
Material: Steel
Length: 165 ft
Beam: 25 ft
Tonnage: 400
Propulsion: Diesel, single screw
Owners: Pan-Ven Line S.A.

Loss

Date: September 30, 1977
Cause: Mechanical failure
Location: Willemstad harbour entrance, Curaçao
Water: Caribbean Sea
Voyage: Willemstad, Curaçao → Pampatar, Isla Margarita, Venezuela
Cargo: Christmas-season cargo including whiskey, perfume, clothing and dry goods
Aboard: 9
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established