Cracks in a muffler coupled with the use of combustible materials in accommodation spaces caused a fire on a towing vessel last year on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near Freeport, Texas, is the key finding in the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) report.
On June 25, 2022, the towing vessel, Mary Dupre, left Port Comfort, Texas, bound for Houston. She was pushing a single barge loaded with bio-diesel fuel. The fire broke out the following day. No injuries were reported, and nearby Good Samaritan towing vessels retrieved the barge, extinguished the fire, and evacuated the crewmembers. However, the Mary Dupre was a total loss, with damages estimated at $1 million. Continue reading “Cracks in a muffler led to fire on towing vessel reveals NTSB report”