"Frank" wrote in message
...
mm wrote:
OT During the pirating stories, one of them said gunfire on an oil
tanker could result in an explosion? Don't they only carry crude oil
and is it flammable?

Yes. With flash point lower than 100 deg. F it is considered flammable by
OSHA and DOT standards:

http://www.elpaso.com/msds/A0017-Crude%20Oil.pdf

I don't know but maybe the cargo is blanketed with inert gas like nitrogen
and air is necessary for combustion. There must be numerous ignition
sources on an oil tanker and I doubt they allow vapors to escape.

Sometimes they are "flared off", or burned away from the rest of the load,
as on oil platforms and at refineries where there is a big flame going 24/7.
Although, now with all the tree and toad huggers, they may not flare as much
as they used to. Vapors are very dangerous, and can build up pressures. I
would think they would be exhausted, and not let to build up.