Barge Carrying Petroleum Byproduct Explodes, Sinks in Chicago Canal

[WillyT]

<snip>

CHICAGO (AP) - A barge carrying hundreds of thousands of gallons of a gooey petroleum byproduct exploded, caught fire and sank Wednesday in a ship channel on the city's southwest side, an environment official said.

Crews were trying Wednesday night to determine how much of the substance might have spilled into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which connects the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.

A boiler on the barge apparently exploded, igniting the clarified slurry oil, said Illinois Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman Maggie Carson. She said initial estimates indicated the barge was carrying about 13,000 barrels, or more than 500,000 gallons.

<snip>

Link: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBVI8AD64E.html

Crap... that's gonna be one hell of a mess.

:argh:

[MercutioATC]

1. Hmmmmm.....tough question.....

"A barge carrying hundreds of thousands of gallons of a gooey petroleum byproduct exploded, caught fire and sank....crews were trying Wednesday night to determine how much of the substance might have spilled into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal"


My guess....all of it.

[3days]

5. You have to remember

The "slurry oil fairies" could have made off with a few thousand gallons.

[WillyT]

7. And Don't Forget The 'Food For Slurry' Scandal !!!

Sorry.

Self - :spank:

[purduejake]

2. So we have to foot the bill, right?

[BrklynLiberal]

3. My son lives in Chicago.wonder if this will affect his abililty to get to

work.

[MercutioATC]

4. Does he work IN the canal?

[CarpeVeritas]

8. all indications point to...No.

it's like waaay south, and away from the city proper.

[barb162]

9. only one road was closed for a while, Cicero Avenue,

and one or two expresswy ramps were closed.

[Divernan]

15. Cicero is the main north south road - 6 lanes + turn lanes

and prime access to Midway Airport - major impact on rush hour

[NYC]

6. Clarified slurry oil.

That sounds truly disgusting.

[AngryAmish]

10. Knowing the canal

The barge is carrying cleaner cargo than the canal. That place smells. Never eat fish out of there.

I will say, there are TONS of bass there. Mostly smallmouth, but a lot of largemouth. However, I never keep them.

[AllyCat]

11. Tin foil hat wearer here...there is a controversial barrier there to

prevent the Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes. There has been much discussion on the shipping sites about this issue as the the shipping industry claims the electrical barrier is causing "blips" in their radar. The problem, they feel, is that the electrical charge could cause a ship to explode.

http://www.boatnerd.com/ and go to the News Channel and down to the report for 1/15/05 and 1/13/05

--snip--

Coast Guard Implements New Regulated Navigation Area On The Chicago Sanitary And Ship Canal

1/15
A regulated navigation area (RNA) has been implemented by the Coast Guard for all vessels operating in the vicinity of the aquatic nuisance species demonstration electrical dispersal barrier. This RNA has been established by the Coast Guard Ninth District Commander in response to a recent test conducted by the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers on the effects of the electrical barrier on passing barge traffic. The Coast Guard has worked closely with the Army Corps of Engineers to develop new safety regulations to ensure the safety of all vessels transiting through the electrical dispersal barrier.

---snip---

Asian Carp Barrier May be in Jeopardy

1/13
A new, more powerful barrier to keep Asian carp from swimming into the Great Lakes is almost finished, but concerns about how it could affect shipping and recreational boating could keep it turned off, at least for now.

Prompted by complaints from the shipping industry, federal and state officials have been meeting to determine if boats can safely pass through the electrical current designed to keep the ravenous fish out of freshwater.

A temporary series of electrical cables strung across the bottom of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 2002 became an issue with shippers last spring when a string of barges drifted into the fish barrier and crew members spotted an arc flashing between two of the floating platforms.

The incident raised concerns that the fish barrier could prove to be a hazard for barges carrying petroleum, chemicals and other flammable commodities through the canal, which links the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. "We don't want anybody to blow up," Coast Guard Cmdr. David Fish told the Chicago Tribune Tuesday.

Reported by Steve Jackson, Chicago Tribune

________________________________________________________

What do you want to bet this was done on purpose?

[Renew Deal]

12. Are you a kooky conspiracy theorist?

:tinfoilhat:

;)

[AllyCat]

13. Well, maybe

But there sure is a coincidence with the emergence of this issue in the shipping industry over the last week and the fact that this accident happened near Lemont, the next town north of Romeoville where the barrier operates.

[Pastiche423]

14. Good thing it wasn't

a liquified natural gas tanker, eh?

Not to worry though, a LNG terminal may be coming to a neighborhood like yours soon and all of the backers (read: the energy cabal) say they are soooo safe!

[Renew Deal]

16. kick

:kick:

[Fenris]

17. Dave Matthews strikes again!

:D