Posted on 10/03/2001 7:27:04 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
LONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - An explosion ripped through the hold of a ship carrying a potentially dangerous chemical off England's southeast coast on Wednesday but the vessel was still afloat and its seven crew were safe, coastguards said.
The German-owned, Antiguan-registered AB Bilbao cargo ship was transporting 3,300 tons of ferrosilicone from Sweden to Spain.
"All seven crew on board the ship are safe and we have sent surveyors and a counter-pollution team on board," said a spokesman for Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
"We have contacted the ship's owners and are monitoring the situation with a coastguard tugboat, which is cruising about a half mile away from the ship," he said.
The spokesman said ferrosilicone gave off highly noxious fumes when combined with water. He said he believed it was this mixture that caused the explosion.
A salvage team was expected to make the ship safe for docking at an English port later on Wednesday.
Thanks for keeping us abreast of the situation.
I'm told if one of these were to be blown up in the harbor, pieces of the Prudential and the U.S. Contitution would be found in New Hampshire.
They paint in 150 foot letters "LNG" right on the side of the hull, I guess so people will know whats in it ?
Anybody have 300 gallons of black marine grade paint that they can spare ? ..
I picture it being used extensively in Fembot production; other than that I have nothing useful to contribute to the discussion.
How else would you ship them over the ocean. The bigest plane doesn't hold a lot. Planes can't be used to ship dangerouse chemicals, unless you like Dangerous Chemical rain.
Globe Metallurgical produces ferrosilicon for iron castings and other applications. Ferrosilicon is an alloy of iron and silicon that is crushed and sold as bulk, packaged, and powdered metal. It may contain other metals, such as aluminum and calcium, for some applications. ASTM standards describe several specific grades of ferrosilicon, but most customers specify the composition and physical properties that best fit their processes
Ferrosilicon improves the strength and quality of thousands of iron and steel products in industries throughout the world. When iron or steel freezes, the presence of silicon promotes a stable graphite phase rather than metastable iron carbide. Most iron castings contain from 1 to 3% silicon, primarily added as ferrosilicon.
Globe smelts ferrosilicon in electric furnaces in the Beverly Plant in Beverly, Ohio and the Hafslund Metall plant in Sarpsborg, Norway. The electric furnaces use quartzite, recycled iron, coal, coke, and wood chips to make the alloy. The composition of Globe’s ferrosilicon is carefully controlled to meet specific customer requirements. Modern laboratories at both facilities analyze the alloy for each shipment.
Globe Metalurgical Beverly Ohio and Sarpsburg, Norway.
Doh!
You should see what happens, when water combines with liquid sodium, the moderator/coolant of Alpha-class Russian nuclear submarines...!
BOOM!!!!
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