WAYMON L BOYD

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NTSB determined probable cause of pipeline strike

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a virtual public board meeting on Dec 7, 2021, to consider the draft final report on the explosion and fire that killed five people on board the 'Waymon L. Boyd'. During the meeting, the NTSB issued 10 safety recommendations and determined the probable cause of the fatal hazardous liquid pipeline strike and subsequent explosion and fire. The dredger struck a submerged 16-inch hazardous liquid pipeline carrying propane during dredging operations in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Aug 21, 2020. A geyser of propane gas and water erupted adjacent to the vessel. The propane gas engulfed the dredge and an explosion occurred, causing a fire that damaged the vessel and surrounding shoreline. A total of 18 personnel employed by Orion Marine Group were working or resting on the dredge and assist boats (tender boats, anchor barges, booster barges and a supply barge) on the day of the accident. Three crew members aboard the 'Waymon L. Boyd' and one on an adjacent anchor barge died in the explosion and fire. Six crewmembers aboard the dredge were injured, one of whom later died from his injuries. The dredger was a total loss valued at $9.48 million. The cost of pipeline damage was $2.09 million. According to the NTSB, Enterprise Products’ pipeline TX219 was struck by the 'Waymon L. Boyd'’s rotating cutterhead, causing a breach in the line that allowed propane to escape and form a gas cloud that surrounded the dredge. Although the dredger's leverman attempted to swing the dredge away from the geyser of water that was carried with the escaping propane, the vessel was less than 200 feet away from the pipeline breach, and the expanding gas cloud enveloped it. Investigators concluded that propane gas released from the pipeline was drawn into the dredger's engine room by the ventilation fans and was ignited, causing the explosion. The NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident was Orion Marine Group’s inadequate planning and risk management processes, which failed to identify the proximity of their dredging operation to Enterprise Products’ pipeline TX219 and resulted in the absence of effective controls to prevent the dredge’s cutterhead from striking the pipeline. Contributing to the accident were deficient dredging plans provided by Schneider Engineering and Consulting, which resulted in incomplete and inaccurate information communicated to Enterprise Products by Orion Marine Group during the one-call (call before you dig) process, which resulted in insufficient measures to protect the pipeline from excavation damage. The NTSB identified a number of safety issues, including inadequate project planning and risk assessment, pipeline damage prevention, and pipeline hazard training. As a result of the investigation, the NTSB issued three recommendations to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, one to Coastal and Marine Operators, two to Coastal and Marine Operators and the Council for Dredging and Marine Construction Safety, three to Orion Group Holdings and one to Enterprise Products. The safety recommendations seek for the companies involved in the accident to implement or update policies and procedures for dredging near pipelines, and for a federal regulator and industry organizations to develop additional guidance and training specific to pipeline protection for marine dredging projects and to establish tolerance zone guidance for marine construction and dredging projects near pipelines. The executive summary, probable cause, findings, and safety recommendations are in the report abstract available on the investigation web page. The final report will be published on the NTSB website in several weeks. The public docket for the investigation contains nearly 2,800 pages of factual information, including interview transcripts, photographs and other investigative materials. Abstract: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA20FM026.aspx

Now five men dead in the explosion on Aug 21

One of the men who was injured in the explosion in Corpus Christi on Aug 21 has died from his injuries at the San Antonio Military Medical Center on Dec 7. The man from Galveston became the fifth victim of accident, which happened in the inner harbor at the Port of Corpus Christi when the 'Waymon L. Boyd' , struck a leaking underwater natural gas pipeline and sparked an explosion. The NTSB and OSHA were both still investigating the accident and have removed the piece of pipe that was leaking that caused the explosion and have moved that piece of pipe to Washington DC to examine it.

National Transportation Safety Board has issued a preliminary report in accident

The National Transportation Safety Board on Sep 30 has issued a preliminary report on the fire aboard the 'Waymon L. Boyd' on Aug 21 in which four crew members died. At this stage, the NTSB has issued no finding of probable cause, but this initial report sets out some facts that were not immediately clear. The dredger reportedly struck a submerged 16-inch liquid propane pipeline during dredging operations adjacent to EPIC Corpus Christi Marine Terminal, located on the Inner Harbor of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel in Corpus Christi. A geyser of gas and water erupted adjacent to the vessel. Shortly thereafter, the gas plume ignited, and fire consumed the vessel and surrounding shoreline. Several other vessels assisted the 'Waymon L. Boyd' during dredging operations, including work boats, anchor barges, booster barges and a supply barge. A total of 18 personnel employed by Orion Marine Group were working on the dredge and assist boats on the day of the accident. Local first responders located the victims and took 6 of the 14 surviving crewmembers to burn units in San Antonio, Texas. No members of the public were injured in this accident. The fire aboard the dredge was extinguished by 4:10 p.m. local time. However, at 8:30 p.m., the fire temporarily re-ignited and was reported to be out by 9:30 p.m. The dredge sank overnight. The damaged pipeline (TX219) was a 16-inch liquid propane line operated by Enterprise Products Operating, LLC, and was installed in 1968. An underwater segment of the pipeline was in close proximity to the area where Orion Marine Group was conducting dredging operations. At the time of the accident, the Enterprise Products pipeline controller received a low-pressure alarm on pipeline TX219. Enterprise Products technicians subsequently closed valves upstream and downstream of the incident location to isolate the pipeline. The estimated release of propane from the pipeline was about 6,000 barrels. The U.S. Coast Guard declared the accident a major marine casualty. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is the lead federal agency for the safety investigation. The Coast Guard, Orion Marine Group (owner/operator), Enterprise Products Operating, LLC (pipeline operator), the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and the Railroad Commission of Texas were named as parties to the investigation. Investigators have interviewed several of the surviving crewmembers and company personnel, and collected documents regarding the dredging operations, crew training, and pipeline marking and damage prevention requirements. On Aug 24, an underwater inspection found evidence of mechanical damage and two wall breaches in the pipeline. The 'Waymon L. Boyd'’s cutter dredge head has been recovered being transported to a secure location for examination. On-scene work will continue with the removal of the damaged pipeline for further examination and testing at NTSB’s laboratory, as well as interviews with additional crew and company officials.