An Investigation of an Oil Barge Explosion in Corpus Christi, TX
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TECHNICAL ARTICLE—PEER-REVIEWED
An Investigation of an Oil Barge Explosion in Corpus Christi, TX Erik Mueller . Nancy McAtee . David Flaherty
Submitted: 22 August 2020 / in revised form: 1 October 2020 / Accepted: 11 October 2020 ASM International 2020
Abstract On October 20, 2017, an articulated tug and barge carrying crude oil were preparing to get under way from anchorage when an explosion and subsequent fire occurred on the bow of the barge, killing the two crew. The National Transportation Safety Board and US Coast Guard conducted an official federal investigation. The explosion was found to have originated from an accumulation of gasses into empty compartment space that had leaked through a bulkhead from the adjacent crude oil cargo tank. The investigation found through-cracks and perforations stemming from corrosion in the bulkhead separating the compartments. This article highlights the findings and conclusions of the accident investigation while providing recommendations to prevent future accidents and to improve the safety of vessels shipping hazardous material. Keywords Corrosion Steel Pitting Cracking Crude oil Fire/explosion
In accordance with Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations §2635.807(b)(2), the views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the National Transportation Safety Board or the USA. E. Mueller (&) N. McAtee NTSB, Materials Laboratory Division, L’Enfant Plaza East, SW, Washington, DC 20594, USA e-mail: [email protected] D. Flaherty NTSB, Office of Marine Safety, L’Enfant Plaza East, SW, Washington, DC 20594, USA
Introduction In the USA, crude oil is shipped along waterways by means of barges and other vessels, moving between 35 million barrels in 2017 and 93 million barrels in 2018 [1]. As the regulating agency, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) is responsible for monitoring waterways, which involves inspecting and certifying vessels like barges as seaworthy [2]. Due to the hazardous nature of crude oil from previous spills along American waterways, prevention and mitigation of spills is a primary goal of securing marine infrastructure [3, 4]. This is often accomplished through frequent inspections, focused on corrosion, which typically manifests as pitting in local attacks or widespread uniform attack on bulk structures [5], also known as ‘‘wastage’’ in the industry [6–9]. In 2017, the USCG performed 5758 inspections on vessels classified as barges, with 1518 deficiencies found; that same year 274 major marine casualties occurred involving barges [10]. When a major marine casualty occurs, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and USCG investigate. The NTSB is an independent Federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the USA and significant accidents in other modes of transportation—railroad, highway, marine, pipeline, and hazardous materials. While mostly known for investigations of aircraft accidents, in the case of marine accidents, the NTSB works with the USCG to investigate t
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