10305
From: Captainj, [DNS_Address]
Subject: One Killed, One Still Missing After Explosion on Crude Oil Barge
URL: http://gcaptain.com/two-missing-after-explosion-on-crude-oil-barge-off-port-aransas-texas/
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The U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed that one person has died and another person was still missing after a fire on barge operated by Bouchard Transportation. The company issued the following statement about the accident. Bouchard Transportation reports that a fire occurred today aboard one of their barges at approximately 4:30 am local time near Aransas Pass, Texas. For privacy purposes, we are not releasing any information about our crew and trust you respect this decision. We have no information regarding pollution or the cause of the fire at this time. Our tug which, was pushing the barge, had 6 crew members on board and we are working closely with the Coast Guard to ensure their safety. All proper emergency notifications have been made and response resources have responded. The incident is under investigation and Bouchard Transportation, as operator of the tug and barge, is working closely with the appropriate authorities. The Company will provide further information on this incident as it becomes available. The tug involved is the Buster Bouchard. Earlier: The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for two missing crew members following an explosion and fire onboard a barge loaded with crude oil off Port Aransas, Texas on Friday. A vessel with the Corpus Christi Fire Department was fighting to extinguish the fire. The barge is located approximately three miles from the Port Aransas, Texas, jetties, according to the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin and HC-144 Ocean Sentry are searching for two missing crewmembers. There were a total of eight crew members on board, according to reports. The barge was carrying 140,000 barrels of crude oil to a refinery when the incident occurred, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. The fire is believed to have started about 4:30 a.m. local time. gCaptain has learned that the barge in question is the 158,000 barrel capacity B255, which was connected to the tug Buster Bouchard. The articulated tug-barge (ATB) unit belongs to Bouchard Transportation, the United States’ largest independently-owned ocean-going petroleum barge company. A safety zone has been established surrounding the vessel. There are reports of minor pollution in the water. Bouchard has not yet responded to gCaptain’s request for comment. |
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[10309]
10309
From: Captainj, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Search Suspended for Missing Barge Crew Members Suspended Off Texas
URL: http://gcaptain.com/search-suspended-for-missing-barge-crew-suspended-off-texas/
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A sea and air search was suspended on Sunday for two crew members who went missing after an oil barge caught fire early on Friday and leaked an undetermined amount of the fuel into the Gulf of Mexico off Port Aransas, Texas, authorities said. There was no immediate determination of what caused the fire, which was extinguished on Friday. The search for the missing crew members was halted after it turned up no signs of the two, said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Edward Wargo. Authorities are bringing in additional floating booms to contain oil around the barge, which is anchored about 3 miles off Port Aransas, a Coast Guard spokesman said. Earlier they put about 2,000 feet (609.6 meters) of containment boom around the vessel. Efforts were under way on Sunday to seal two oil tanks that were breached during the early morning fire. Aerial photos released by the Coast Guard show an opening on the deck on the ship’s bow. After the tanks are sealed, authorities are considering transferring some of the oil to another vessel and towing the barge to port. “We are exploring several different ways” to move the barge, said Brittany Eck, a spokeswoman for the Texas General Land Office, which is taking part in the response to the fire and oil spill. The barge, operated by Bouchard Transportation Co, holds about 137,000 barrels of oil and was headed to Corpus Christi, Texas, when the fire started. A Bouchard spokesman declined to comment on efforts to repair the tanks. The two tanks that were exposed during the fire, which cut through the ship’s deck, hold about 20,000 barrels combined, Eck said. |
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