| 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) |
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.
References
- "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 / 29.3503; -94.7529
| Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1993 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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1992   1994 | |
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