NTSB: Ineffective maintenance led to deadly 2017 barge blast

By Associated Press 10 May 2019, 12:00AM

PORT ARANSAS, Texas (AP) — Federal investigators have concluded that a deadly 2017 barge blast in Port Aransas resulted from the lack of effective maintenance and safety management of the barge.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued its findings in a recent report on the Oct. 10, 2017, blast aboard the articulated tug and barge Buster Bouchard (boo-SHAHRD') 3 miles (5 kilometers) off Port Aransas, Texas. The blast killed two crew members.

The board said the lack of maintenance resulted in crude oil cargo leaking through a corroded bulkhead into a void in a forward cabin, forming a vapor that ignited when the crew raised the anchor chain. The board also cited ineffective inspections and surveys by the U.S. Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping.

By Associated Press 10 May 2019, 12:00AM

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