Английская Википедия:Burmah Agate
Шаблон:Infobox ship imageШаблон:Infobox ship careerШаблон:Infobox ship characteristics
The M/T Burmah Agate was an oil tanker that was involved in a nautical collision and subsequent oil spill near Galveston, Texas in November 1979. 31 crewmen were killed in the collision, and the oil spill damaged the local environment.
Incident
On the morning of November 1, 1979, the Liberian-flagged Burmah Agate, while in the customary anchorage area for the Port of Houston inbound to Galveston Bay with 400,000 barrels of fuelШаблон:Ref, was struck by the outbound freighter Mimosa just outside the entrance to the Galveston Bay channel. The Mimosa struck the Burmah Agate on its starboard side, tearing an Шаблон:Convert by Шаблон:Convert hole near Cargo Tank No. 5, and setting off an explosion that ignited the now-leaking oil.[1] The tanker started to founder, with fire raging on its starboard side and superstructure. The Mimosa was also set afire by the explosion - its crew evacuated, and the vessel was left without command, circling its dropped anchor.[2] Unable to shut off the Mimosa's engines due to the fires, the rescuers eventually fouled its propeller, and Mimosa was towed to Galveston several days after the collision.[1]
The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched a Sikorsky HH-52A helicopter (tail number 1426, currently in the Smithsonian Air and Space Collection)[3] and the cutter Шаблон:Ship to begin search and rescue operations, lifting men off the ships using helicopters. By 12:30, all 26 crew members of the Mimosa had been accounted for, but only 6[4][1] of Burmah AgateШаблон:'s 37 crew survived, and 4 bodies were recovered.[2] The firefighting operation was led by Valiant and supported by several tugboats, but lack of crew training on the tugs hampered firefighting efforts. The fire on board Burmah Agate burned until January 8, 1980, and the ship was subsequently towed to Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping on February 1.[4]
Oil spill
Oil began escaping the hulk of the Burmah Agate immediately after the collision. Nearly half of the oil burned upon spilling and seasonal winds kept much of the remaining oil offshore, but large quantities of oil caused environmental damage. Large concentrations washed ashore at Galveston and San Jose island, while lighter quantities came ashore at Padre island and on the Bolivar Peninsula. Booms and skimmers were employed to protect beaches, while effected marshlands were not cleaned.Шаблон:Ref[1] Heavy winter seas and a constant rotation of ships used to contain the spill slowed the cleanup effort.[1]
An estimated Шаблон:Convert of oil were released into the environment, with another Шаблон:Convert consumed by the fire. A government report of the spill estimated that, of the oil spilled, 48 percent burned, 38 percent was recovered through lightering, 12 percent dispersed offshore, 1.7 percent was recovered by skimmers, and 0.5 percent directly impacted beaches.[1]
References
Notes
- A.Шаблон:NoteThe oil carried by Burmah Agate was a mixture of blended and Nigerian crude.[1]
- B.Шаблон:NoteIt was feared that efforts to clean oil-fouled marshes may cause them more damage than the oil itself.[1]
Citations
External links
- Maritime Connector: Tanker Incidents
- Collision of the Motor Tanker Burmah Agate and the Freighter Mimosa.
