The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published Marine Accident Report 20-34 detailing the findings of its investigation involving the explosion of a barge at the Illinois Marine Towing Heritage Slip on the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal, Illinois on the 4 November 2019.
The barge explosion occurred when the IB1940 was being prepared for cleaning after its cargo of acetone had been unloaded. No injuries or pollution were reported in connection with the explosion. The barge, however, was declared a total constructive loss, valued at $1.75M.
In the report, NTSB says the probable cause of the explosion was incomplete procedures that did not incorporate the safety instructions included in the Illinois Marine Towing Facility Operations Manual for electrical bonding of air movers to barges.
The NTSB’s investigation revealed that while Illinois Marine Towing had written guidance to workers for tasks related to barge cleaning operations before the explosion, the documents did not include all procedures identified in the Facility Operations Manual, specifically guidance for bonding air movers to the barge.
Following the accident, Illinois Marine Towing updated its standard operating procedure for liquid barge strip-and-blow cleanings to a 13-page document that includes instructions for stripping tanks, verifying that all residual product has been removed from tanks, inspecting air movers before leaving the shop, and ensuring the bonding strap is attached and tested for electrical continuity between the air mover horn and the bonding clamp.
Read the report in full: MAB2034
Read another NTSB accident report: Ignition of gas vapor onboard barge Alaganik the cause of fatal explosion reveals NTSB Report