History
United States
NameOMI Charger
OperatorOMI Corporation
BuilderBethlehem Steel Corporation
Launched10 June 1969
IdentificationIMO number: 6921311
FateSank in Galveston, Texas on October 9, 1993
General characteristics
Class and typeSteel hull oil tanker
Tonnage34,485 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
Length631 ft 1 in (192.35 m)
Beam90.1 ft (27.5 m)
Draught48.9 ft (14.9 m)
Propulsionsteam turbine 15,000 horse power

The OMI Charger was a single-hulled oil tanker built in 1969 and used by the OMI Corporation.

Disaster

On October 9, 1993 while the tanker was anchored at Boliver Roads near Galveston, Texas, work began on sealing a previously discovered leak in a cargo tank. When a crew member lit an arc welder inside a tank, it ignited gasoline vapors, causing a tremendous explosion which killed three crew members and injured seven. The subsequent fire burned for five hours, and the ship was a total loss.

A US Coast Guard investigation determined that the cargo tank had been improperly cleared and insufficiently tested prior to the incident.[1]

References

  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-11-04. Retrieved 2007-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


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