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The Island of Dr No: The Industrial Heritage of Boná Island, Panama

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Abstract

The uninhabited island of Boná in the Gulf of Panama has an unusual industrial history with an abandoned black sand mineral storage lagoon and the wreckage of a ship loading plant and dock that was built by a Japanese company almost fifty years ago. This article describes our investigation of the site and its history. The plant was operated by Hierro Panama S.A., a 50‐50 a joint venture between Sumitomo Corporation of Japan and Minera Chame S. A. It was built by Japanese engineers in 1971. It operated in 1972 and three shipments of iron ore totalling 75,000 metric tons were made to Japan. An accident occurred on the fourth shipment when the ship was blown against the dock by strong winds and badly damaged it. It was determined to be too expensive to repair, and the project was abandoned in July 1972.
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TheIslandofDrNo:TheIndustrialHeritageofBonáIsland,Panama
StewartD.Redwood
Introduction
TheuninhabitedislandofBonáintheGulfofPanamahasanunusualindustrialhistoryshownby
anabandonedblacksandmineralstoragelagoonandthewreckageofashiploadingplantand
dockthatwasbuiltbyaJapanesecompanyalmostfiftyyearsago.WediscovereditinOctober
2009onasailingtripfromTabogatoBonáaboardtheyachtFlyingScud,aBeneteau44.The
expeditionmembersweremyself,mywifeMaite,JamesCobbett‐theowneroftheyacht,and
hiswifeMarilyn.Thederelictloadingcraneisvisiblefromseveralnauticalmilesawayasyou
approachtheisland,andthewreckageofthedockpartlyblockstheisland’sonlyanchorageand
landingbeach.JamesandIexploredthesitewiththeAvondinghyandonfootand,withour
combinedexperienceinminingengineeringandmininggeology,weworkedoutwhatthe
functionofthesitehadbeen.Wereckonedthatitwasasafeassumptionthatitwasthefirsttime
thattwoFellowsoftheInstitutionofMiningandMetallurgy(IMM)hadbeenontheislandatthe
sametime.WemadeasecondvisitinJanuary2010onasailingexpeditionfromPanamato
GolfitoinCostaRica,andscubadivedonthesite.
Wenicknamedthemysteriousindustrialsitethe“IslandofDr.No”afterthefirstJamesBond
film,wonderingifasatellitetrackingdishwouldemergefrombelowtheminerallagoon.James,
revealinghisage,admittedtoseeingthefilmwhenitfirstcameout.
Bonáisanuninhabited
volcanicislandintheOtoque
IslandgroupintheGulfof
Panama,partofthe
MunicipalityofTaboga,
locatedat8°34’48”N,
79°35’38”W.Withanareaof
about1km2,itisasteep,
woodedisland205mhigh,
inhabitedbyaseabird
colony.Thereisalighthouse
onLosFarallónesrocksatthe
southerntip.Thenearest
villagesareOtoqueOriente
ThederelictloadingcraneonthewestsideofPuntadelMorro,andsite
ofberthingpontoonswherebulkcarriersloadedironoreforJapan.
(
PhotoS.Redwood
,
2009
)
.
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Vol.I,No.34August2020
andOtoqueOccidenteonoppositesidesofOtoqueIsland,about3.0kmnorth,andthenearest
pointofthemainlandis14kmtothenorthatPuntaChame.Theislandsarerarelyvisited,except
bypassingyachtsandfishermen.
Industrial Archaeology
Theplantislocatedonaflatlying,raisedpeninsulacalledPuntadelMorrothatformsahookat
thenortherntipofBoná.Thisprotectsasmallbayonthesouthsidethatisananchoragewitha
smallbeach,theonlylandingplaceontherockyshoreoftheisland,althoughitisnowfouledby
thewreckageofthedock.Thebeachwasusedbylandingcrafttounloadmaterialsandsupplies,
butonlyadinghycanlandtherenow.Thepeninsulaisoval,withdimensionsofabout175mE
Wby145m,andisflattoppedwithamaximumheightof36m.ItisconnectedtoBonábya
curvedspitoflandabout260mlong.Thereisanovergrownroadfromthebeachalongtheridge
andthenorthsideofthepeninsulatotheruinedpowerhousenorthoftheloadingcrane.
Theflattopofthepeninsulahasanearthenbermaroundittoformalagoon,whichisnowdry
andovergrownwithsmalltrees.Thisisfilledwithblacksandcomposedofmagnetite,aniron
BonáIsland satelliteimage,2002.
PuntadelMorro
LosFarallones
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Vol.I,No.35August2020
oxide.Thesandwaspumpedashoreasaslurryandstockpiledinthelagoonuntilreadytobe
loadedontobulkcarriersforshippingtoJapan.
Atthewestendofthelagoonthereisadrawdownpointintoatunnelabout20mlong.The
tunnelhasaconcreteportalandasemicircularprofilelinedwithcorrugatedsteel.Theblack
sandpassedoverthreevibratingscreenstodisaggregateitandontoaconveyorbelt,nowmissing
thebelt.Thescreensstillhavethemaker’snameplateshowingthattheyweremadeby
StephensAdamsonofAurora,Illinois,USA.Jamesremarkedthattheequipmentwasrusted,but
wasnotwornbymuchuse.
Theconveyorbeltleadstoafourlegged,Aframegantryandthentotheloadingcranebuilton
therockfaceabovethesiteoftheloadingdock.Theloadingcranehasacircularbasesoitcould
rotate,butthecraneitselfhascollapsed,withamassofcableshangingfromthetopoftheA
frame.Thereisalargewinchwithgearsandsteelcabledrumatthetunnelportal.Theloader
wasprobablyatubethatcouldberaisedandloweredtofeedblacksandintotheships’holds.
Alongsidethecranethereisapipelinefromtheshoreuptothelagoonwhichwasusedtopump
sandslurryfromsmallboatsintothestoragelagoon.
Theloadingdockwasafloatingdockmadeofthreepontoonsattachedtotheshorebysteel
tubesandstruts.Theyacht’sechosoundershowedadepthof80to100feet(2430m)ofwater
PuntadelMorro,Boná,satelliteimage,2002.Theblacksandlagoonisclearlyvisible.
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Vol.I,No.36August2020
belowthecrane,sothatlargeshipscouldhaveberthedhere.Thereisnothingleftinplaceofthe
loadingdock.Underwaterwefoundalotofgirders,cables,drumsandalargesteelassembly,but
wedidn’tdivebelow60feet(18m)asthewreckageposedahazard,andthewaterwascoldand
hadlowvisibility,typicalofplanktonrichupwellingconditionsinthedryseason.Thepontoons
andtubularsupportswithrubberflangeswereleftbeachedinthebay,andaremostlycovered
athightide.Underwaternearbythereisalonggantry.Northoftheloaderthereisaconcrete
pontoonsupportontherock.Therearealsomooringhooksforship’shawserssetinconcreteon
therocksatthecornersofthepeninsula,northandsouthoftheloader.
Iestimatethatshipsupto200mlongcouldhaveberthedatBoná.JapaneseHandymaxbulk
carriershaveacapacityof52,000to58,000tonnesdeadweight(dwt),andalengthupto190m.
Theroadfromthebeacharoundthenorthsideofthepeninsula,about600mlong,terminates
justnorthofthegantry,andafewmetersbelowthebermofthelagoon.Herethereisaconcrete
buildingthathousedthreedieselgenerators,whichhavebeenremoved,leavingonlythebig
electricalswitchboards.However,nofuelstoragetankswerefound.Therearethreeempty
roomswhichprobablyservedasofficesorbunkhouses.
History
Aftersomeresearch,thehistoryofBonáwasrevealedtomebyProfessorAkiraTanaka,Professor
ofJapaneseEconomicHistoryatNagoyaCityUniversity,Japan(Tanabe,1982,p.411).The
PanamaironoresandprojectwasoperatedbyHierroPanama,S.A,a5050jointventure
betweenMineraChameS.A.andSumitomoCorporation50%.Theironoresandwasshipped
fromBonáusinga“Type75Vessel”.Thefirstshipmentwasmadein1972andcontinuedtothe
fourth,foratotalof75,000metrictons.However,therewasanaccidentonthefourthshipment,
and“thevesselequipmentcollapsed”.“Weattemptedtoreconstructitbutforeconomic
reasons,weterminatedtheprojectinJuly1972.”TheironorewaspurchasedbyShinnittetsu
with54,000tons,andSumitomokinzoku(SumitomoMetal)with19,000tons.
ThegeopoliticalbackgroundisdescribedinapaperbyProfessorTanaka(2005),“WhyWereThe
SogoShoshaNeeded?”.Japanbecameamajorimporterofironorefortherapidindustrialization
afterWorldWar2fromthemid1950suntiltheearly1970s.Steelproductionrosefrom9million
metrictons(Mt)in1955to119Mtin1973.Japanesecompaniessearchedtheworldforironore
deposits,anddiscoveredandminedironoreinAustralia,Asia,Africa,IndiaandNorthAmerica.
Thiswascarriedoutbysixmajorgeneraltradingcompaniescalledsogoshosha,mostofwhich
arefamiliarnamesstillinminingandotherindustriesSumitomo,Mitsui,Mitsubishi,Marubeni,
C.ItohandNisshoIwai.In1970theExportImportBankofJapanfinanced744millionYen(about
US$2.5million)foranironsandprojectinPanama(Boná).
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ItracedoneoftheoriginalJapanese
workersontheBonáproject,Shuji
"Joe"Wakasugi,livinginCalifornia,
andinterviewedhimbyemailthrough
hisdaughterKyo.Heconfirmedwhat
wehadworkedoutaboutthe
functionoftheplant.
“MyfatherworkedonBonácirca
19721973.Hewaspartofaproject
thatwasajointventurebetweenthe
JapanesetradingcompanySumitomo
andHierroPanamaS.A.These
companiesenlistedthehelpoftwo
Japanesecompanies:SankiIndustrialprovidedmachineryandOkazakiKogyo(basedinOsaka,
Japan)wasinchargeofconstruction.Myfatherwasoneofthecivilengineersthatbuiltthe
stockyard.
“SumitomousedIslaBonátostocktheblackironsandthatcamefromGorgonaBeach.Gorgona
BeachwastooshallowforthetankerstoaccessandthereforeBonáwasusedasapickupspot
fortheblackironsandwhichwasshippedbacktoJapan.MyfatherbelievesthatIslaBonáwas
usedforthispurposeuntilthejobwascompletedandthensimplyabandoned.
“Theydidnotseparateanything.Therewasnoprocessingplant.Itwassimplyastockyard.He
believestheysimplyexporteditasironore.
“Theengineerslivedontopofthehill,mostlikelyintheoffices/dormitoriesthatyoufound.The
workersstayedinbungalowsbuiltonthelowerpartoftheislandnearthebay.Myfatherusually
stayedontheislandforaweekandthenwouldgotoPanamaCityforaweektopickupsupplies
(food,toolsetc.)beforereturningtotheIsland.
“Theworkersusuallyonlystayedfor23monthsandthenwouldswitchwithanothercrew
arrivingfromJapan.Theconditionswereverytoughfortheworkersastherewasnorunning
waterontheisland.TheyhiredayoungmanwhoownedaboattotraveltoOtoquetopickup
drinkingwatereachday.Theengineeringteammyfatherwasonstayedforalittleoverayear.
Otheremployees,suchastechnicianswouldonlystayacoupleofmonths.
Therotatingbaseoftheloadingcrane,with OtoqueIsland
beyond.(PhotoS.Redwood,2009).
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Vol.I,No.38August2020
“TheyusedLCVPboats
[LandingCraft,Vehicle,
Personnel]totransportpretty
mucheverything.Theywould
loadeverythingfromPunta
Paitilla[attherampinthe
MarinePark]inPanama.They
wouldarriveathightideand
thenwaituntillowtideto
unloadeverything.The
engineersandexecutivesused
aspeedboatcalledtheBlack
SandPrimerotomoveback
andforth.
“Myfatherdesignedthe
mineralloadingtunnelandwasinterestedtoseethatitwasstillstanding!
“Onasidenote,whenmyfatherwasnotontheislandhestayedattheHotelGranadainPanama
City.Hewasalsowonderingifyouperhapsknowifitstillexists.”Iassuredthemthatitisstill
thereandthatIusedthecarparkeverymonthIwhenwenttogetmyhaircutatBarberiaLuis’
barbershoponthecorner,whichwasprobablythereinhistime.“Hegotakickoutofthehotel
stillbeingthere!Thisexchangehasbeenveryinterestingforbothmyfatherandmyself!”
JaimeRoquebert,aretiredPanamaniangeologistandaformerDirectoroftheNational
DirectorateofMineralResources(DirecciónNacionaldeRecursosMinerals,DNRM)wasclosely
involvedintheBonáproject.HewassenttoJapanasthePanamanianGovernment’s
representativeaftertheaccidentoccurred.Atthetimehewasayoungfieldgeologistand
Japaneseprotocolexpectedamuchhigherlevelofrepresentative.However,hewascloserto
Japanthananyofhissuperiors,beinginIstanbulonaUNcourse,andwasinstructedtomakehis
waytoKyoto.Onarrivaltherewerenonationalflightsavailableandhehadtotravelbytrainin
thirdclass,whichtheJapanesewereveryapologeticabout.Overlunch,heexplainedthatthe
magnetiteheavysandswereminedfromGorgonaBeachoffshoreusingasuctiondredgewithan
electromagnet.TheywerestockpiledonthebeachthenperiodicallyshippedtoBonábyasmall
sanddredgervessel.TheloadingpieratBonáwasafloatingpierinthreesections.TheDNRM
warnedtheJapanesethatthecurrentsandwindsatBonácanbestrongandrecommendeda
mooringloadingbuoyinstead,butthiswasnotdone.Theshipswerecoalcarrierscomingfrom
Theovergrown,blacksand(magnetite)lagoonstockpileontopofthe
peninsula.(PhotoS.Redwood,2009).
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Vol.I,No.39August2020
theeastcoastoftheUnitedStates
withpartialloadswhichwerethen
toppedupwith25,000tonnesof
magnetitesandatBoná,taking
advantageofaspecialcanaltarifffor
partialloads.Atotalof75,000metric
tonsofmagnetitesandwasexported
inthreeshipments.However,onthe
fourthshipmentstrongwindsblew
theorecarrierheavilyagainstthe
floatingpierandbadlydamagedit.It
wasdeterminednottobe
economicaltorepairthepierandthe
operationwasabandoned.
Summary
TheruinedplantatPuntadelMorroatthenortherntipofBonáIslandwasastorageandship
loadingplantformagnetitesand(blacksand)ironore.Theblacksandwasminedunderwater
fromGorgonaBeach,25kmtothewest,usingasuctionsanddredger.Themagnetitewas
probablyseparatedfromthesandatGorgonausinganelectromagnet,becausethereisno
mineralseparationequipmentatBoná.Inaddition,myexaminationoftheoreshowedthatitis
apuremagnetiteconcentratewithnoothermineralssuchasilmenitepresent,andthatitishigh
gradeironorewithatheoreticalironcontentofupto72.4%.TheblacksandwasbroughttoBoná
insmallsandboatsandwaspumpedashoreasaslurryintothestoragelagoonontheflattopof
thepeninsula.NominingorprocessingwascarriedoutatBonáitself.Theblacksandwasdrawn
downfromthelagoonintoashorttunnel,passedthroughvibratingscreenstodisaggregateit
andseparateanydebrissuchasstonesorwood,anddepositedontoaconveyorbelt.Thiscarried
theblacksandtoaloadinggantrywhereitwasloadeddirectlyintotheholdsofbulkcarrierships
forexporttoJapan.TheshipswereprobablyJapaneseHandymaxbulkcarrierswithacapacityof
52,000to58,000dwt,andalengthupto190m.Theseberthedatfloatingpontoonsbelowthe
loadingcraneindeepwaterclosetotherockface.
TheplantwasoperatedbyHierroPanamaS.A.,a5050ajointventurebetweenSumitomo
CorporationofJapanandMineraChameS.A.ItwasbuiltbyJapaneseengineersin1971.It
operatedin1972andthreeshipmentsofironoretotalling75,000metrictonsweremadeto
Japan.Anaccidentoccurredonthefourthshipmentwhentheshipwasblownagainstthe
Thederelictoreloadingarm,conveyor, pulleyandcables.
(PhotoS.Redwood,2009).
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Vol.I,No.310August2020
pontoonsbystrongwindsandbadlydamagedthepontoons.Itwasdeterminedtobetoo
expensivetorepair,andtheprojectwasabandonedinJuly1972.
Bonáisaveryunusual,ifnotuniqueplacetobuildamineralstorageandloadingplant.Itwas
chosenbecauseofdeepwaterforalargeshiploadingfacility,therebeingnoportsforvesselsof
thissizeonthemainlandexceptinBalboa,butwithoutthistypeofloadingfacility.Italsohad
spaceformineralstorage,aswellasbeingclosetotheminingarea.Thedisadvantagesofthesite
werethatitisremoteanduninhabitedwithnowaterorpower.
Sources
ThanksareduetoProfessorAkiraTanaka,NagoyaCityUniversity,Nagoya,Japan;Shuji"Joe"
WakasugiandKyoWakasugi,southernCalifornia;IizukaFumie,Panamafortranslating;andthe
lateJaimeRoquebert,Panama.
Tanabe,S.,1982.TetsuyoEienni:NipponTekkoGenryoshi,Jokan(Japanese:Iron,Forever:
HistoryofJapan’sIronMaterials,Vol.1).SangyoShimbunsha.
Tanaka,A.,2005.WhyWereSogoShoshaNeeded?Japan’sDevelopandImportSchemeofIron
Oreinthe1960s.DiscussionPapersinEconomicsNo.409,NagoyaCityUniversity,Nagoya,Japan,
28p.
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


A:Bonáfromthenorth.B:PuntadelMorro,Boná.Theheavymineralsandswerestoredinalagoonontop
oftheflatpeninsula.Theruinedloadinggantryisontheleft.C:LosFarallóneslighthouseatthesouthendof
Boná.D:Thewreckedloadingcraneandslurrypipe.E:Threepontoonsandtubularsupportarmsabandoned
inthebay.F:Wreckedpontoonsandsupports.(PhotosS.Redwood,2009).
A
B
C D
E F
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



A:TheFlyingScu
d
atanchoratBoná.B:AtrickylandingforJamesCobbettintheAvondinghyontherocks
belowthepeninsula.C:Thetunnelandconveyorbeltframe.D:Thevibratingscreens.E:Thetunnel
entranceandconveyorbelt.F:JamesCobbettinspectsthewinchandcabledrum.(PhotosS.Redwood,
2009
)
.
AB
CD
EF
... They had historical estimated "proven reserves" (probably equivalent to inferred resources) of 3.0 Mt (del Giudice and Recchi, 1969;Quirós, 1975). The shallow marine deposits off Gorgona Beach were exploited by dredging in 1971-1972 by Hierro Panama S.A., a 50-50 joint venture between Sumitomo Corporation of Japan and Minera Chame S.A. of Panama (Redwood, 2020a). The black sands were concentrated by electromagnets and stockpiled on Bona Island, where they were loaded onto bulk carriers for export to Japan. ...
Article
Full-text available
The history of mining and exploration in Panama is a case study of the evolution of mining in a tropical, island arc environment in the New World from prehistoric to modern times over a period of ~1900 years. Panama has a strong mineral endowment of gold (~984 t), and copper (~32 Mt) resulting in a rich mining heritage. The mining history can be divided into five periods. The first was the pre-Columbian period of gold mining from near the start of the Current Era at ~100 CE to 1501, following the introduced of gold metalwork fully fledged from Colombia. Mining of gold took place from placer and vein deposits in the Veraguas, Coclé, Northern Darien and Darien goldfields, together with copper for alloying. Panama was the first country on the mainland of the Americas to be mined by Europeans during the Spanish colonial period from 1501-1821. The pattern of gold rushes, conquest and settlement can be mapped from Spanish records, starting in Northern Darien then moving west to Panama in 1519 and Nata in 1522. From here, expeditions set out throughout Veraguas over the next century to the Veraguas (Concepción), Southern Veraguas, Coclé and Central Veraguas goldfields. Attention returned to Darien in ~1665 and led to the discovery of the Espíritu Santo de Cana gold mine, the most important gold mine to that date in the Americas. The third period was the Republican period following independence from Spain in 1821 to become part of the Gran Colombia alliance, and the formation of the Republic of Panama in 1903. This period up to ~1942 was characterized by mining of gold veins and placers, and manganese mining from 1871. Gold mining ceased during World War Two. The fourth period was the era of porphyry copper discoveries and systematic, regional geochemical exploration programs from 1956 to 1982, carried out mainly by the United Nations and the Panamanian government, as well as private enterprise. This resulted in the discovery of the giant porphyry copper deposits at Cerro Colorado (1957) and Petaquilla (Cobre Panama, 1968), as well as several other porphyry deposits, epithermal gold deposits and bauxite deposits. The exploration techniques for the discovery of copper were stream sediment and soil sampling, followed rapidly by drilling. The only mine developed in this period was marine black sands for iron ore (1971-1972). The fifth and current period is the exploration and development of modern gold and copper mines since 1985 by national and foreign companies, which started in response to the gold price rise. The main discovery methods for gold, which was not analyzed in the stream sediment surveys, were lithogeochemistry of alteration zones and reexamination of old mines. Gold mines were developed at Remance (1990-1998), Santa Rosa (1995-1999 with restart planned in 2020) and Molejon (2009-2014), and the Cobre Panama copper deposit started production in 2019. The level of exploration in the country is still immature and there is high potential for the discovery of new deposits.
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