Three similar designs of a set of six stamps issued by the Venezuelan General Post Office to commemorate the opening of the Maracaibo Bridge on August 24, 1962 show an interesting tanker, and I have now received confirmation from Mr. D. Gelderblom, of the Compania Shell de Venezuela office at Cardon, that the vessel is the Shell Charaima. The design shows her just after she had passed under the bridge.
The Shell Charaima was built in December 1954 by the Bremer Vulkan Yard, Vegesack, Germany for the N.V. Curacaosche Scheepv. Maats. (Shell) and was originally named Glebula. This name followed the Shell practice of naming their ships after sea shells, in this case a glebula shell, a specimen of which was carried in an illuminated cabinet in the ship's saloon.
In 1956 the vessel was transferred to the Compania Shell de Venezuela and renamed Shell Charaima under the Venezuelan flag. The name of Charaima is taken from that of a famous Venezuelan Indian fighter who lived during the Spanish colonial days. The ship has an overall length of 520 ft., a beam of 67 ft. 2in. and her deadweight capacity at summer mark is 15,100 tons. She carries cargoes of crude oil, fuel oil or asphalt.
Her propelling machinery comprises two triple-expansion engines, each of four cylinders and developing 2,750 i.h.p. There are two Babcock and Wilcox watertube boilers working at a pressure of 225 lb. per sq. in. and four horizontal Duplex steam-driven cargo pumps.
SG1789-91 Sea Breezes 8/64