The Bridge-class was a series of six ore-bulk-oil vessels (also known as OBOs or "combination carriers") completed by Swan Hunter at their shipyard on the River Tees between 1971 and 1976.

Seabridge Shipping was a consortium of British shipowners, founded in the late 1960s to harness economies of scale to secure major bulk cargo contracts.

[1] Four members of the consortium - Bibby Line, Furness Withy, Hunting & Son and Thornhope Shipping (controlled by Hilmar Reksten, Norway)[2] - ordered the six Bridge-class OBOs for charter to Seabridge.

The latter followed the striking of an iceberg in the Strait of Belle Isle on a voyage from Immingham in the UK to Sept-Îles, Quebec in Canada, which caused severe damage to her bulbous bow, fore-peak and fore-deep tanks.

In 1986, Kowloon Bridge lost its rudder in heavy weather conditions off West Cork, Ireland and later sank after breaking its back.

It was badly damaged in an explosion and renamed Derbyshire in 1978 before being lost in Typhoon Orchid off of Japan in 1980 with the loss of all 44 crew members on board.