Chapter 50
Singapore, Central Business District, South East Asian Institute of Strategic Threats
November 13, 2006, 03:50 local time
Dr. Kunderan saw a large explosion in the center of the LNG carrier. Within seconds, the ship disappeared in an unbelievably rapidly expanding white cloud. Initially, the white cloud spread upward and outward forming a roughly vertical, elongated sphere. The sphere then began to collapse downward and a fast moving white wall spread across the ocean. The cloud formed a thick white circular layer many hundreds of meters across, centered on the now invisible ship. Blue flames flickered across its surface and around its edges.
His worst fear had come true. There had been an explosive release of the pressurized liquid gas. One particularly dire scenario forced its way into Dr. Kunderan's thoughts. He could visualize the scientist who described the scenario to him and recall his words almost verbatim.
'A sudden complete depressurization of the containment vessel creates a rapidly expanding cloud that initially is mostly aerosolized liquid natural gas. As the cloud expands, the liquid starts to boil off and become gas and at the same time mixes with air. The cloud reaches the right gas, aerosolized liquid and air mixture, then explosively ignites.'
'The blast wave destroys everything within one to two kilometers. It completely destroys the ship, resulting in an even larger and far more rapid release of aerosolized gas from the other three gas containment vessels on the ship. The second cloud of aerosolized gas expands to a five hundred to one thousand meter radius before it too explosively ignites, causing the largest non-nuclear explosion ever, with a blast radius of five to eight kilometers.'
A blast of that size would destroy or seriously damage every building along five or more kilometers of the Singaporean shoreline and back as far as two kilometers. Several hundred thousand dead. The worst man-made disaster in history.
Dr. Kunderan shuddered at the thought, because his family's apartment was in a prime position on the shoreline directly overlooking the Roads. He had chosen it precisely because it gave such panoramic views over the waterway, and he could watch the shipping traffic at any time.
He silently prayed to Vishnu, the Preserver of Worlds, to save his family.
The speed at which the white gas cloud expanded across the ocean shocked Charles. His work in weapons research meant he had seen many weapons demonstrated both live and on video. What he saw was strongly reminiscent of a super slow motion video he had seen of a fuel-air weapon deploying. He knew the similarity to the slow motion video was because he was seeing something on a vastly greater scale. In the video, the weapon descends by parachute then bursts open expelling many small containers. Each container sprays an explosive aerosol, which forms a circular layer above the ground. The weapon then ignites the aerosol and a shock wave spreads through and then beyond the aerosol layer, demolishing everything in its path.
Charles watched for signs of a similar shock wave spreading through the gas cloud signifying its explosive ignition.
Charles sensed the tension in Dr. Kunderan and saw his lips moving as if he were praying in silence.
He said, “Anand, what's going to happen?”
Dr. Kunderan seemed to come out of his private thoughts and replied, “I have talked to dozens of scientists, engineers and other experts, and I think a fair assessment of their views, is no one really knows. What happens next is in the hands of the Gods.”
Charles saw that the circular cloud had stopped expanding outwards. When the cloud first formed its edges were sharply defined, but had now started to become blurred. He knew this was because the aerosol was transitioning to a gas and starting to dissipate. The intensity of the blue flames on the surface increased, but a huge explosion no longer seemed imminent.
***
As the white cloud burnt away leaving clear air behind, Jackson saw the black-clad soldiers lying in unnatural positions along the deck. He started for the door. Anil once again grabbed his arm, and said, “You can't go outside.”
Jackson replied, “The gas has cleared and I might be able to help those men.”
“The burning gas has left behind almost no oxygen in the air. What is out there is toxic levels of carbon dioxide and probably carbon monoxide as well. If you go outside you will be unconscious before you take your second breath and dead seconds later. If the natural gas didn’t suffocate those men, the carbon dioxide and monoxide will have poisoned them. They are already dead.”
Jackson turned away from the door and said to Anil, “You saved Joe's life today and my life more than once, perhaps three times.”
“Three times?”
“Yes, if I hadn't seen your reaction to the advice I was given to go forward on the ship once the shelling started, I might well have followed that advice and be lying dead out there on the deck, like those poor men outside.”
Anil responded, as if talking to himself, “I took a life today. Saving two other lives will help balance my dharma.”
As a pair of Singaporean helicopters settled on either side of the main deck, the rapidly shrinking remnants of the white cloud in the middle of the ship continued to burn around the edges.
Jackson asked Anil, “Is it safe to go outside?”
“It might be, but if you feel faint or short of breath, come back into the bridge immediately. No, wait.”
Anil picked up one of the oxygen bottles and gave it to Jackson.
“Use this.”
Jackson almost unconsciously took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping out onto the deck. The bodies of five of the Singaporean Special Forces lay along the railing. He could see two more down on the main deck.
Black-clad men jumped from the helicopter, followed by medics with red cross armbands. The Singaporean Special Forces must have had time to transmit that they were suffocating in the gas cloud.
Jackson waved them in his direction. The first black-clad man up the stairs to the bridge was visibly panting when he arrived. He struggled for breath and just managed to get out, “Who are you?”
“Sergeant Jackson, United States Army. If you are feeling short of breath, you should breathe some of this oxygen.”
The man ignored the oxygen bottle offered by Jackson and continued panting, then said, “What are the threats, Sergeant?”
“There might be one more suicide bomber loose on the ship, but I don't think so.”
The man looked down at his dead companions on the deck and asked, “What happened?”
“They suffocated in the gas cloud. We only just managed to save ourselves. There was nothing we could do to save them. I'm truly sorry.”
Jackson didn't know what else to say and turned away, leaving the Singaporeans to grieve over their lost comrades.
Chapter 51
November 13, 2006, 03:50 local time
Dr. Kunderan saw a large explosion in the center of the LNG carrier. Within seconds, the ship disappeared in an unbelievably rapidly expanding white cloud. Initially, the white cloud spread upward and outward forming a roughly vertical, elongated sphere. The sphere then began to collapse downward and a fast moving white wall spread across the ocean. The cloud formed a thick white circular layer many hundreds of meters across, centered on the now invisible ship. Blue flames flickered across its surface and around its edges.
His worst fear had come true. There had been an explosive release of the pressurized liquid gas. One particularly dire scenario forced its way into Dr. Kunderan's thoughts. He could visualize the scientist who described the scenario to him and recall his words almost verbatim.
'A sudden complete depressurization of the containment vessel creates a rapidly expanding cloud that initially is mostly aerosolized liquid natural gas. As the cloud expands, the liquid starts to boil off and become gas and at the same time mixes with air. The cloud reaches the right gas, aerosolized liquid and air mixture, then explosively ignites.'
'The blast wave destroys everything within one to two kilometers. It completely destroys the ship, resulting in an even larger and far more rapid release of aerosolized gas from the other three gas containment vessels on the ship. The second cloud of aerosolized gas expands to a five hundred to one thousand meter radius before it too explosively ignites, causing the largest non-nuclear explosion ever, with a blast radius of five to eight kilometers.'
A blast of that size would destroy or seriously damage every building along five or more kilometers of the Singaporean shoreline and back as far as two kilometers. Several hundred thousand dead. The worst man-made disaster in history.
Dr. Kunderan shuddered at the thought, because his family's apartment was in a prime position on the shoreline directly overlooking the Roads. He had chosen it precisely because it gave such panoramic views over the waterway, and he could watch the shipping traffic at any time.
He silently prayed to Vishnu, the Preserver of Worlds, to save his family.
The speed at which the white gas cloud expanded across the ocean shocked Charles. His work in weapons research meant he had seen many weapons demonstrated both live and on video. What he saw was strongly reminiscent of a super slow motion video he had seen of a fuel-air weapon deploying. He knew the similarity to the slow motion video was because he was seeing something on a vastly greater scale. In the video, the weapon descends by parachute then bursts open expelling many small containers. Each container sprays an explosive aerosol, which forms a circular layer above the ground. The weapon then ignites the aerosol and a shock wave spreads through and then beyond the aerosol layer, demolishing everything in its path.
Charles watched for signs of a similar shock wave spreading through the gas cloud signifying its explosive ignition.
Charles sensed the tension in Dr. Kunderan and saw his lips moving as if he were praying in silence.
He said, “Anand, what's going to happen?”
Dr. Kunderan seemed to come out of his private thoughts and replied, “I have talked to dozens of scientists, engineers and other experts, and I think a fair assessment of their views, is no one really knows. What happens next is in the hands of the Gods.”
Charles saw that the circular cloud had stopped expanding outwards. When the cloud first formed its edges were sharply defined, but had now started to become blurred. He knew this was because the aerosol was transitioning to a gas and starting to dissipate. The intensity of the blue flames on the surface increased, but a huge explosion no longer seemed imminent.
***
As the white cloud burnt away leaving clear air behind, Jackson saw the black-clad soldiers lying in unnatural positions along the deck. He started for the door. Anil once again grabbed his arm, and said, “You can't go outside.”
Jackson replied, “The gas has cleared and I might be able to help those men.”
“The burning gas has left behind almost no oxygen in the air. What is out there is toxic levels of carbon dioxide and probably carbon monoxide as well. If you go outside you will be unconscious before you take your second breath and dead seconds later. If the natural gas didn’t suffocate those men, the carbon dioxide and monoxide will have poisoned them. They are already dead.”
Jackson turned away from the door and said to Anil, “You saved Joe's life today and my life more than once, perhaps three times.”
“Three times?”
“Yes, if I hadn't seen your reaction to the advice I was given to go forward on the ship once the shelling started, I might well have followed that advice and be lying dead out there on the deck, like those poor men outside.”
Anil responded, as if talking to himself, “I took a life today. Saving two other lives will help balance my dharma.”
As a pair of Singaporean helicopters settled on either side of the main deck, the rapidly shrinking remnants of the white cloud in the middle of the ship continued to burn around the edges.
Jackson asked Anil, “Is it safe to go outside?”
“It might be, but if you feel faint or short of breath, come back into the bridge immediately. No, wait.”
Anil picked up one of the oxygen bottles and gave it to Jackson.
“Use this.”
Jackson almost unconsciously took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping out onto the deck. The bodies of five of the Singaporean Special Forces lay along the railing. He could see two more down on the main deck.
Black-clad men jumped from the helicopter, followed by medics with red cross armbands. The Singaporean Special Forces must have had time to transmit that they were suffocating in the gas cloud.
Jackson waved them in his direction. The first black-clad man up the stairs to the bridge was visibly panting when he arrived. He struggled for breath and just managed to get out, “Who are you?”
“Sergeant Jackson, United States Army. If you are feeling short of breath, you should breathe some of this oxygen.”
The man ignored the oxygen bottle offered by Jackson and continued panting, then said, “What are the threats, Sergeant?”
“There might be one more suicide bomber loose on the ship, but I don't think so.”
The man looked down at his dead companions on the deck and asked, “What happened?”
“They suffocated in the gas cloud. We only just managed to save ourselves. There was nothing we could do to save them. I'm truly sorry.”
Jackson didn't know what else to say and turned away, leaving the Singaporeans to grieve over their lost comrades.
Chapter 51
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