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Posted in Barge Accidents,Jones Act,Louisiana Maritime News,Maritime Accidents,US Coast Guard (USCG) on March 20, 2013
LAFITTE, La. – The Coast Guard has determined that the Settoon vessel that struck a Chevron pipeline in Bayou Perot on March 12 appears to be out of the navigation channel and ran over clearly marked white stakes that indicated the pipeline’s presence.
U.S. Coast Guard officials state that the Settoon Towing tugboat and barge that struck a Chevron LPG (liquid propane gas) pipeline were out of the navigation channel when the pipeline caught fire on March 12, 2013.
In an article at WWL-TV, Tanner Stiehl of the United States Coast Guard said he reviewed aerial photos showing the pipeline was marked with signs, stakes and a pipeline sign with an orange light.
Map showing location of LPG (liquid propane gas) pipeline fire after it was struck by a tugboat and barge in Bayou Perot in Lafitte, LA on March 12, 2013.
The article states:
“A sheen of burned crude oil appeared on the water, and officials are containing it with boom to reduce pollution.”
The Coast Guard does not believe that the barge was ruptured and believes that the sheen on the water was caused by diesel fuel leaking from the tugboat.
The pipeline was clearly marked with signs in the shallow water and the tugboat and barge were out of the navigation channel when it hit the pipeline.
Similarly, Chevron spokesperson Gareth Johnstone said “details of the incident are still being discovered, though the pipeline was clearly marked.”
Heavy smoke and flames continued to billow into the air Wednesday morning as a large barge burned out of control in Bayou Perot.
Coast Guard officials say the huge fire was sparked when a Settoon tug boat pushing the barge hit a liquified petroleum gas pipeline in the shallow waters of the marsh.
Stiehl said the incident is still under investigation.
Read:
Tugboat Captain Critically Injured in Fire After Striking Gas Pipeline Off Louisiana Coast
Blog post by Louisiana maritime lawyer, Gordon, Elias & Seely.