UPDATE 5: New Orleans Pipeline Fire

A pipeline burns after an collision with tug boat Shanon E. Setton, near Bayou Perot 30 miles south of New Orleans, March 13, 2013. The Coast Guard is working with federal, state and local agencies in response to this incident to ensure the safety of responders and contain and clean up any oil that is leaking. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans)

UPDATE 5: Lightering operations completed, flaring operations continue

NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard and assisting agencies continue response operations for a tug and barge that collided with a pipeline near Bayou Perot 30 miles south of New Orleans Friday.

After the barge was removed from the scene and taken to a secure location, offloading operations were conducted and completed at approximately 3 p.m. Friday. The crude oil from the barge has been offloaded into a separate barge.  At no time was any pollution observed coming from the barge.

As the residual liquid petroleum gas in the pipeline dwindles, the flaring operations will continue.  Flaring operations use flares which are devices that burn or oxidize industrial gaseous wastes in a safe, controlled and efficient manner.

The Coast Guard continues to maintain flight restrictions over the airspace near the Shannon E. Settoon barge at and below 5,000 feet within approximately a one-mile radius. Responders have deployed 11,100 feet of boom around the tank barge to contain any possible pollution risks.

The unified command consists of the U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, Settoon Towing and Chevron.  Other agencies and contractors include Louisiana State Police, Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Natural Resources, ES&H, CTEH Air Monitoring, T&T Marine Salvage and Resolve Marine.


NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard continues to respond to a report of an allision between a tug pushing a barge resulting in a pipeline fire near Bayou Perot 30 miles south of New Orleans, Wednesday.

ES & H, the oil spill response organization, is on scene and has mobilized 7,218 feet of containment boom and 6,000 feet of 18-inch containment boom, one cabin boat, five responder class boats, one Marco skimmer and two 24-foot express hull vessels in response to the incident.

There are 2,215 barrels of crude on the barge and approximately 1,000 gallons of diesel on the tug.

A Coast Guard overflight is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday to conduct shoreline impacts and assessments.

There is a one mile by 75 foot-wide sheen reported in the vicinity of the tug and barge.

The owner of the pipeline is Chevron, and the owner of the barge is Setoon Towing LLC. The pipeline was shut in Tuesday evening, and the fire will diminish as the product diminishes.

All crew members were able to exit the tug; the captain reportedly suffered second to third-degree degree burns.

Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a report that the 47-foot tug Shanon E. Settoon was pushing a 154-foot oil barge when it allided with a pipeline 6 p.m., Tuesday.

The Coast Guard is working with federal, state and local agencies in response to this incident to ensure the safety of responders and contain and clean up any oil that is leaking.


The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.