Puerto Rican
The chemical tanker Puerto Rican was devastated in October 1984 by several explosions
and fires in one of her empty central tanks and in the adjacent
lateral tanks. Caustic soda infiltrated into an empty adjacent tank
through a small hole in one of the tank walls.
The caustic soda reacted with the epoxy coating, rich in zinc, on
the tank walls and the structure of the empty tank, releasing hydrogen.
This gas ignited, due to contact between metals or an electrostatic
discharge. Four days after the explosion, the vessel’s stern
broke off and sank.
In the incident, two people were seriously injured and one was reported
missing, presumed dead.
Name: Puerto Rican
Date: 31 October 1984
Location: USA
Accident area: Pacific Ocean, 8 miles west of Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay
Cause of spill: explosion and fire
Product transported: caustic soda
Quantity spilled: 400-500 m3
Ship type: chemical tanker
Flag: USA
See also
Last update: 01/04/2005