Response to gas pipeline fire continues

Responders inspect the dredging barge Jonathon King Boyd after it caught fire while conducting dredging operations approximately two miles from Port O’Connor, Texas, April 18, 2018. The 10 crewmembers aboard the Jonathan King Boyd were safely removed by the crew of the good Samaritan vessel First State, which was on scene at the time of the fire

APRIL 19, 2018 — A Unified Command, consisting of Coast Guard, Texas General Land Office and RLB Contracting Inc., was yesterday continuing to respond to a gas pipeline fire near Port O’Connor, Texas,

Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi watchstanders received a mayday Tuesday evening from the captain of the dredging barge Jonathon King Boyd, who reported the vessel was on fire after hitting a gas pipeline while conducting dredging operations. Genesis Energy owns the pipeline.

T&T Marine Salvage personnel yesterday confirmed the fire onboard the Jonathon King Boyd had been extinguished and were reviewing salvage plans to transit the dredging barge to Port Lavaca for removal of fuel and to complete a damage assessment.

The natural gas pipeline fire has been extinguished and divers are preparing to assess the damage to secure and repair the pipeline.

A one-mile safety zone remained in effect around the dredge and the Intracoastal Waterway remained closed to traffic from mile marker 468 to mile marker 474 to include the Matagorda Ship Channel from the jetties to seven nautical miles inside the bay.

Responders inspect the dredging barge Jonathon King Boyd after it caught fire while conducting dredging operations approximately two miles from Port O’Connor, Texas, April 18, 2018. The 10 crewmembers aboard the Jonathan King Boyd were safely removed by the crew of the good Samaritan vessel First State, which was on scene at the time of the fire

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Kelly Parker.