OMI Charger

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.[1]

References

1. "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.

29.3503°N 94.7529°W / 29.3503; -94.7529