Igel (Navio do gás)

The Igel came to Brazil through Ultragás and was given the name of the family that controlled the company. In May 1957 she ran aground off the coast of Ceará and, in July of the same year, collided with the ship Apolo in the port of Caiçara. When she sank, she belonged to Ceará Gás Butano, of Fortaleza.

In 1959, carrying gas canisters and cylinders bound for Fortaleza, the ship ran into a storm, broke her shaft and began taking on water. The captain took her to the coast and anchored before the reefs of Porto de Galinhas, where she sank. The 12 crew members were rescued by a boat and jangadas. The cargo of household gas canisters ended up looted by local residents.

Today the hull lies on her starboard side, with the bow and stern preserved and the midsection completely broken, perhaps from the removal of the engine and other parts. The bow winch, the foremast with its ladder and the shaft protruding from the stern, whose propeller was removed, can still be seen. About 60 industrial gas cylinders remain arranged in the forward hold, and in 1995 many of them were still leaking.