OMI Charger was a single-hulled oil tanker built in 1969 and used by the OMI Corporation.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | OMI Charger |
| Operator | OMI Corporation |
| Builder | Bethlehem Steel Corporation |
| Launched | 10 June 1969 |
| Identification | IMO number: 6921311 |
| Fate | Sank in Galveston, Texas on October 9, 1993 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Steel hull oil tanker |
| Tonnage | 34,485 DWT |
| Length | 631 ft 1 in (192.35 m) |
| Beam | 90.1 ft (27.5 m) |
| Draught | 48.9 ft (14.9 m) |
| Propulsion | steam turbine 15,000 hp (11,000 kW) |
Disaster
editOn 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
edit- ^ "Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Explosion and Fire Aboard the Tanker OMI Charger" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-11-04. Retrieved 2007-09-11.
29°21′01″N 94°45′10″W / 29.3503°N 94.7529°W