Burmah Agate

The M/T Burmah Agate was an oil tanker that was involved in an oil spill near Galveston, Texas in 1979. On the morning of November 1, 1979, the Burmah Agate, while in the customary anchorage area for the Port of Houston inbound to Galveston Bay with 400,000 barrels of fuel, was struck by the outbound freighter Mimosa just outside the entrance to the Galveston Bay Entrance Channel. Both vessels were Liberian flagged, owned by Chinese interests. The Mimosa struck the Burmah Agate on its starboard side, tearing an 8 feet (2.4 m) by 15 feet (4.6 m) hole near Cargo Tank No. 5, and setting off an explosion that ignited the leaking oil. The tanker foundered, while the freighter remained under way, slowly circling about a dropped anchor.

Burmah Agate

The M/T Burmah Agate was an oil tanker that was involved in an oil spill near Galveston, Texas in 1979. On the morning of November 1, 1979, the Burmah Agate, while in the customary anchorage area for the Port of Houston inbound to Galveston Bay with 400,000 barrels of fuel, was struck by the outbound freighter Mimosa just outside the entrance to the Galveston Bay Entrance Channel. Both vessels were Liberian flagged, owned by Chinese interests. The Mimosa struck the Burmah Agate on its starboard side, tearing an 8 feet (2.4 m) by 15 feet (4.6 m) hole near Cargo Tank No. 5, and setting off an explosion that ignited the leaking oil. The tanker foundered, while the freighter remained under way, slowly circling about a dropped anchor.