2019 Barge Explosion Caused By 'Incomplete Safety Procedures'

LEMONT, IL — The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that incomplete safety procedures led to a barge explosion in Lemont last November.

The explosion happened at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 4, 2019, in the Illinois Marine Towing Heritage Slip on the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal, according to a release from the safety board. Patch reported at the time that residents from bordering towns heard the blast.

The explosion happened when the barge was being prepared for cleaning after its cargo of acetone had been unloaded, the release states. There were no injuries or pollution in connection with the explosion, although the barge was a total loss, valued at $1.75 million.

The safety board determined that the probable cause of the explosion was the company's incomplete procedures that didn't incorporate instructions about the electrical bonding of air movers to barges. The accident report states that this resulted in an unbonded air mover being operated in a cargo tank with residual acetone, which caused a static electrical discharge, which ignited flammable vapors in the tank.

The investigation from the safety board revealed that Illinois Marine Towing had written guidance to workers for tasks related to barge cleaning operations, however the documents did not include all procedures identified in the Facility Operations Manual, specifically guidance for bonding air movers to the barge, the release states.

Illinois Marine Towing has now updated its standard operating procedure for liquid barge strip-and-blow cleanings, and it now 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."

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