Another explosion??? (Japanese-owned tanker, methanol, New Zealand)

dow jones newswires | march 2, 2004 | dow jones

[spyone]

WELLINGTON (AP)--Marine safety specialists worked Wednesday to seal a meter-long tear in the steel deck of a Japanese-owned methanol tanker after an implosion inside the vessel ripped open the decking, officials said. The implosion sucked the steel deck inward creating the tear. It occurred as the 5,965-metric-ton Perla was loading 250,000 liters of methanol Tuesday at Port Taranaki in the city of New Plymouth, on North Island's west coast. The Maritime Safety Authority said it didn't immediately know what triggered the blast, and launched an investigation. An implosion occurs when a tank or vessel is crushed or collapsed by higher pressures on its exterior. "At this stage we're not certain what happened. The implosion was either in a cargo tank or in one of the ballast tanks," said authority director Russell Kilvington. Emergency services were on standby and the authority said it hadn't considered ordering the Perla to leave port, because of the potential risk involved in starting the tanker's engine. "We want to avoid any catalyst for explosion. Methanol is quite flammable and relatively volatile. It's better just to leave things where they are until the investigations have been completed," said Kilvington. Methanol, produced from natural gas or wood, is used in manufacturing a wide range of chemical products, including automobile fuel. The first priority would be to seal the split in the deck and offload some of the methanol which has been contaminated, she said. The vessel will then sail to discharge a further 2,500 metric tons of clean methanol at an offload facility on South Island. The Singapore-registered vessel is owned by Maruta Industries of Imabari City in Japan, said local agent, Murray Dickson of Cape Shipping. The incident occurred just four days after the tanker Bow Mariner, a regular visitor to Port Taranaki to load methanol, exploded and sank off the east coast of the U.S., with the presumed loss of 21 crew. Six survivors were plucked from the sea by the U.S. Coast Guard. The 570-foot Bow Mariner went down Saturday night more than 80 kilometers east of Chincoteague, on the Virginia coast, while carrying 11,000 metric tons of ethanol, as well as diesel fuel and fuel oil. -Edited by Nick vonKlock

(END) Dow Jones Newswires 03-02-04

[spyone]

Or should I say implosion?

[Mo1]

Check this out

[Semper911]

The incident occurred just four days after the tanker Bow Mariner, a regular visitor to Port Taranaki to load methanol, exploded and sank off the east coast of the U.S.

Mmmmmm...I can't recall ever hearing of a methane tanker exploding. And now two on four days. Mmmm...

p.s. Paragraph breaks are your friend.

[CindyDawg]

I hope it's not bad guys practicing.

[knak]

an implosion not an explosion

[spyone]

Thanks. You are right.

[Dog Gone]

Edited by Nick vonKlock

A man who hates paragraphs in order to make an article readable. Apparently.

[Domestic Church]

" The Singapore-registered vessel"

The one off of the coast of Maryland and Virginia also was Singapore registered if I recall correctly.

[CyberAnt]

You read my mind!

[Cold Heart]

Didn't open the cargo tank vent during discharge. The pump just sucked that tank down. Kind of like that picture of the hillbilly that can suck his face into his mouth.
Chief mate looses job.
Ballast tank vents are built always open.

[StriperSniper]

Sounds good, but the tin-foil stays within arms length. ;-)

[Eric in the Ozarks]

This is a very small quantity, less than 1500 bbls. Must be a chemical tanker with multiple compartments. If she was less than 6000 metric tons, it might indicate a smaller vessel.

[Cold Heart]

I misread, they were loading cargo. Vent still not opened, cargo tank ruptures into MT ballast tank. Forget the hillbilly picture.
Chief mate still looses job.

[gdc61]

but it was a cool hillbilly,with chew spit running off his chin like fishguts washed off the deck.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

How do you get an implosion while loading?

[Dec31,1999]

Hmm......