SHANON E SETTOON

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Badly burnt tug captain died

The captain of the "Shannon E. Settoon" who was badly burned in a fiery explosion in March died on Apr 10 n the evening. Chad Breaux was one of four crew members aboard the 47-foot tug that struck a Chevron petroleum pipeline as it pushed a barge in Bayou Perot south of lower Lafitte on March 1. Breaux was the only crew member who was burned. He had burns on 75 percent to 85 percent of his body. Following the explosion, he was listed in critical condition and taken to Baton Rouge General Hospital's Burn Unit. Another crew member was injured when he was knocked off the boat by the force of the blast, officials said. That man was in stable condition. The incident was reported about 6:45 p.m. near 4932 Kenal Road in Lafitte. The tug was attached to a barge carrying 2,215 barrels - or 92,000 gallons - of crude oil as it traveled through the area, said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Alex Washington. The accident happened at a point where the water reportedly is 1 to 2 feet deep. The Coast Guard placed temporary flight restrictions over the site. Responders deployed 10,400 feet of boom around the tank barge to contain any possible leaks.

Purging operations completed

The Coast Guard and assisting agencies have completed purging operations of the pipeline fire caused by the "Shannon E. Settoon" near Bayou Perot on Mar 18, 2013. After extensive shoreline assessments and subsequent actions the unified command of the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, Settoon Towing, Chevron and the Coast Guard have deemed there was no threat of fire or explosions at this time. The emergency response phase has concluded. Agencies were continuing to monitor for any environmental impacts from this incident while developing a salvage plan to remove the gutted tug from the bayou and make repairs to the pipeline. No oil was spilled during this incident. During the course of the response, 12,800 feet of boom was deployed to contain any possible spills that might have happened during the course of the response. There were no impacts to wildlife reported.

Barge removed and lightered

On Mar 15 the barge was removed from the "Shanon E. Setton" and taken to a secure location, offloading operations were conducted and completed at approximately 3 p.m. 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.