October 16, 2026

MLive reporter to discuss book on Jupiter explosion

U.S. tankship exploded, burned at Bay City pier in 1990

When the River Burned with photo of tanker on fire

Saginaw Valley State University alumnus, mid-Michigan journalist and MLive reporter Joey Oliver will discuss his new book, “When the River Burned: The Untold Story of the Jupiter Explosion,” on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 7-8 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall in SVSU’s Curtiss Hall.

On September 16, 1990, the tanker ship Jupiter was unloading gasoline at a pier in Bay City, on the Saginaw River. In the wake of a passing carrier ship, the Jupiter broke free from its moorings, rupturing its discharge hose and pier pipeline and spilling gasoline onto the pier and deck. Sparks from damaged cables ignited the fuel. Spreading flames triggered a series of explosions, killing one and injuring 11 others.

In writing his book, Oliver drew on newspaper archives, Coast Guard investigations and eyewitness accounts to reconstruct how a series of small oversights — in equipment, procedure and human judgment — aligned to produce catastrophe. The book places the Jupiter explosion within a broader history of the Saginaw River, tracing its evolution into a vital artery of Michigan industry.

This lecture is free and open to the public. It is hosted by SVSU’s Center for Public Policy & Services and the Henry Marsh Institute for Public Policy.