Qualla: Asphalt Princess

Asphalt Princess: Introduction

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Some ships accumulate trouble the way others accumulate barnacles. The vessel now known as Asphalt Princess has been launched, renamed, grounded, salvaged, renamed again, set on fire, grounded again, sold, and finally hijacked -- all across four decades and three oceans. Built in 1975 at Ankerlokken Glommen shipyard in Fredrikstad, Norway, she has carried bitumen and asphalt under five different names and four different owners, leaving a trail of incidents from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Oman.

Read more: Asphalt Princess on Qualla

Asphalt Princess: Five Names, Four Decades

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

She was christened Joasla when she slid into the water on December 19, 1975. By 1979 she was Orinoco, and by 1981 Rio Orinoco. Under that name, in October 1990, she went aground on Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and spilled 200 tonnes of oil before being freed. The ...

Read more: Asphalt Princess on Qualla

Asphalt Princess: Fire and Ice

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Desgagnes years were eventful. On February 13, 2010, while moored in Montreal, welding work sparked a small explosion and fire aboard the vessel. Her holds were empty at the time, and the fire was quickly extinguished, though one person was injured. Four years later, on Janua...

Read more: Asphalt Princess on Qualla

Asphalt Princess: Hijacked in the Gulf of Oman

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

On August 3, 2021, the Asphalt Princess was traveling from Khor Fakkan in the UAE to Sohar, Oman, when the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations issued a warning: a "non-piracy" incident was unfolding 61 nautical miles east of Fujairah. By the following morning, UKMTO had upgr...

Read more: Asphalt Princess on Qualla

Asphalt Princess: Contested Waters

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Iran denied involvement, with the Foreign Ministry calling the reports "completely suspicious" and an armed forces spokesman dismissing them as "psychological warfare." Hours later, Al Jazeera reported that Iran's armed forces claimed to be "providing assistance and security for ...

Read more: Asphalt Princess on Qualla