Oil Tanker Barge Exploded in Louisiana

Oil Tanker Barge Exploded in Louisiana



Feb 2007 - The body of 
a welder aboard a barge that exploded and caught fire Saturday 
near Venice, Louisiana was recovered Sunday, the U.S. Coast 
Guard said. 
The tank barge, carrying about 17,000 gallons of crude oil, 
burst into flames during a welding operation. One man was 
killed, another was injured, and an unknown amount of crude 
oil spilled into the water. 
A rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New 
Orleans, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Pompano, pollution 
and accident investigation teams from Coast Guard Sector New 
Orleans, and the Plaquemines Parish fire boatcrew Authority 
One responded. 
The Coast Guard medevaced the injured man to Baton Rouge by 
helicopter. The cause of the accident is under investigation. 
Coast Guard Lt. Com. Cheri Ben-Iesau confirmed that a slick of 
oil was spilled, but it burned off and left no pollution, she 
said. 
The barge was moored with a crane barge, which caught fire and 
was destroyed. It took more than four hours to put out the 
fire on the tank barge, said the Coast Guard. 
Both barges were owned by Forest Oil Corp. of Lafayette, 
Louisiana, which is cooperating with state officials and the 
Coast Guard in investigating the accident. 
Forest is a $3 billion publicly traded company that ranks as 
one of the largest independent exploration and production 
companies in the United States. 
Forest's principal reserves and producing properties are 
located in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming and 
Alaska, and in Canada.

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