Naufrágio Beny

The Beny was a Brazilian diesel-powered cargo ship with a displacement of 2,450 t, carrying salt and cigarettes on a voyage from Maranhão to Salvador. In 1968, she suffered an engine failure near Fortaleza and lay at anchor in the cove awaiting repairs. While she waited, towing her to Salvador and then to shipyards in Rio de Janeiro was considered, but nothing was done. On 18 January 1969, the ship began to list to port, and the crew threw the cargo overboard, but the manoeuvre was not enough. The next day, 19 January 1969, the Beny sank completely because of a leak in the hull.

The hulk got in the way of the port, and its removal, estimated at NCr$ 500,000, a fortune at the time, was never carried out. Part of the starboard side sticks out of the water, and the remains can be seen from Praia do Meireles at both low and high tide. The cargo ship Amazonas can also be seen from the beach and should not be confused with the Beny: the Beny is closer to the beach and the Amazonas is farther out.

The hull still lies listed and broken near the bow, where the mooring bollards remain in place. Under the water, part of the machinery and the rudder can be seen. The remains have become home to fish and moray eels, and the hull is covered in very sharp barnacles.