Coast Guard investigates barge explosion in Chicago waterway

Coast Guard investigates barge explosion in Chicago waterway    The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a barge explosion on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Wednesday night that resulted in the presumed death of one crewmember.
   The tank barge, “EMC423,” was carrying about 588,000 gallons of clarified slurry oil. This cargo is a byproduct of the oil refining process and is used to make fuel oils. According to the Coast Guard, it was loaded onto the barge at the Exxon Mobile plant in Joilet, Ill., and was headed for the Ameropan Oil Corp. facility in Cicero, Ill.
   The tank barge involved in the explosion is owned and operated by Egan Marine Corp. Egan Marine operates a small fleet of barges and towboats in Lemont, Ill.
   The Coast Guard shut down the canal between South Harlem Avenue Bridge and the South Pulaski Road Bridge to all vessel traffic for safety reasons. Heritage Environmental Corp. has been contracted by Egan Marine to clean up the spill.
   The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is helping the Coast Guard with this investigation.