Had the crew of a barge used a steel pin to secure a spud - a steel shaft used for mooring barges - six lives would have been spared, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation. A vessel was pushing two deck barges in the West Cote Blanche Bay oilfield in Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2006 when the aft spud on one of the barges suddenly released from its fully raised position and slammed into a submerged, high pressure natural gas pipeline. Releasing gas ignited, creating a fireball that engulfed both barges and the towing vessel. The master of the […]
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