1989 — Oct 3, F/V Northumberland ruptures a NG pipeline, explosion & fire ~Sabine Pass, TX– 11
— 11 NTSB. Pipeline Accident Report. Fire on Board the F/V Northumberland…, 9-11-1990, vii.
— 11 UPI. “Coast Guard gives up search for eight missing in ship explosion.” 10-4-1989.
Narrative Information
NTSB Executive Summary: “On October 3, 1989, the United States fishing vessel NORTHUMBERLAND[1] struck and ruptured a 16-inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline about 1/2 nautical mile offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, and about 5 1/3 nautical miles west of the jetties at the entrance to Sabine Pass, Texas. Natural gas under a pressure of 835 psig was released. An undetermined source on board the vessel ignited the gas, and within seconds, the entire vessel was engulfed in flames. The fire on the vessel burned itself out on October 4. Leaking gas from the pipeline also continued to burn until October 4. Of the 14 crewmembers, 11 died as a result of the accident.
“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America to maintain the pipeline at the burial depth required by the permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the Office of Pipeline Safety of the Research and Special Programs Administration, after its 1977 study, to require pipeline operators to inspect and maintain submerged pipelines in a protected condition.
“The following safety issues are discussed in this report:
- the adequacy and enforcement of Federal and State regulations for the maintenance, inspection, surveillance, and protection of submerged pipelines;
- the need for commercial fishing vessel operators to recognize submerged pipelines as a potential hazard to fishing operations;
- the marking of submerged pipelines on large scale navigation charts;
- the knowledge of U.S. Coast Guard Captains of the Port of the number, type, location, and operator of all submerged pipelines within their particular zones; and
- emergency preparedness planning of offshore pipeline operators with emergency response agencies and with offshore producers.” [p. iii.]
“….The vessel had a crew of 14: 1 master, 1 mate, 1 pilot, 1 chief engineer, 1 second engineer, 1 cook, and 8 fishermen…. [p.1]
“Once the last set was completed,[2] the master radioed the pilot of the spotter plane[3] to ask where the vessel should proceed next and was told to head offshore. The master later estimated that the vessel was in 9 to 11 feet of water. The master began backing the Northumberland from a northerly heading to bring the bow around to a southeasterly heading. With the bow pointing northeasterly, the vessel, as it was moving backward at 2 to 3 knots, struck and ruptured the 16-inch natural gas transmission pipeline owned by Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (HGPL). The master felt the vessel come to a jarring stop that rattled the windows of the pilot house. He heard an immediate explosion and, when looking aft, observed the entire stern, including the afterhouse, engulfed in flames with the flames moving forward rapidly.
“According to the master, most of the crew was in or near the afterdeck house when the explosion occurred. The only fisherman to survive stated that he and two other fishermen were washing at the faucet located on the port side of the forward deckhouse. The master and the pilot, who both survived the accident, were in the pilothouse. The pilot and the only surviving fisherman later stated they felt an impact followed immediately by a single explosion…. [p.2]
“From his position in the water, the master saw the pilot and a crewmember in the water with him. The master later stated that the crewmember appeared to be struggling to keep afloat. The master unsuccessfully attempted to assist the crewmember; however, the crewmember was displaying signs of panic and kept dragging the two of them underwater. The pilot later stated that he saw ‘several’ crewmembers struggling in the water, including the cook and the second engineer. The fisherman who survived saw the master, pilot, mate, cook, and three other fishermen in the water after the explosion. He also stated that all were alive when he first sighted them. According to the surviving fisherman, the mate was burned but was wearing a life preserver. The surviving fisherman saw the mate swimming away from the vessel when the mate appeared to ‘give up’ and drown. The surviving fisherman stated that the cook appeared to be afraid, but did not appear to be burned or otherwise injured. While the surviving fisherman was attempting to reach him, the cook also drowned…. [p.4]
“The accident occurred in open water. There were no offshore markers, buoys, or other navigational aids in the area to indicate the presence of the pipeline…. [p. 15]
“…charts depicting the accident area indicate that the depth of water at the accident site was abut 6 feet. Depth measurements taken by divers after the accident indicate that the actual water depth was about 10 feet….
“Analysis….When the accident occurred, the Northumberland was in shallow waters and close to shore….The water depth and the estimated draft of the vessel at the time of the accident were both about 10 feet. Consequently, the bottom of the vessel was close to the sea bottom or slightly penetrating the bottom when it struck the pipeline.
“The flanged plate welded to the modified skeg, which was on the deepest part of the vessel, was the most likely part of the vessel to strike the pipeline on the seabed while the vessel was backing. When the pipeline was struck and ruptured, the natural gas that was released instantaneously formed an explosive mixture with air that enveloped the vessel. Although the specific ignition source on the vessel was not identified because of the extent of damage, any piece of operating machinery or electrical fixture located toward the stern of the vessel may have been the ignition source.
“The pipeline was not fully buried when it was struck by the Northumberland. The diving surveys established that the unburied segments of the pipeline were not confined to a limited length, but extended for as much as 400 feet in the immediate accident area. The quantity and type of marine growth found on the pipeline indicates that the pipeline had been unburied [end of p.49] for a prolonged period. Damage to the concrete coating also indicates that the pipeline had been previously struck by other vessels or equipment towed by vessels.
“The Corps [of Engineers] issues permits to operators placing man-made objects in navigable waters to prevent the obstruction of such waterways. Therefore, in issuing its permit to NGPL, the Corps required the pipeline to be buried and maintained to the buried depths shown on approved plans (about 9 feet below the seabed in the case of this pipeline). To satisfy the requirement that the pipelines be maintained in accordance with the permit, the Corps expects the operators to conduct periodic inspections. The Northumberland struck and ruptured the pipeline because the pipeline was not buried and maintained at the burial depth required by the Corps’ permit. Therefore, the Safety Board believes that the failure of NGPL to keep the pipeline safely buried caused the accident….” [p. 50.] (NTSB. PAR. Fire on Board the F/V Northumberland and Rupture of a Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico near Sabine Pass, Texas, October 3, 1989.)
UPI: “Sabine Pass, Texas — Rescuers Wednesday recovered the body of a third sailor killed in an explosion caused when a fishing boat ripped open a natural gas pipeline, then gave up their search for eight crewmen still missing, the Coast Guard reported. A spokesman for Zapata Corp., whose subsidiary, Zapata Hayne Corp. of Hammond, La., owned the Northumberland, said the missing men are presumed dead….
“The third body was discovered early Wednesday afternoon floating about 20 feet from the site of the explosion, Coast Guard Petty Officer Bob Morehead said in New Orleans, where the rescue was coordinated. Shortly afterward, the Coast Guard called off the search. ‘We searched for 20 hours with various helicopters and surface resources and weren’t able to find any survivors, so we suspended the search,’ Morehead said. One of the dead was identified as John T. Ware, 43, of Lake Charles, La., who was a cook aboard the 160-foot commercial fishing boat carrying a crew of 14. [Notes three on board survived.]….
“Coast Guard officials said the ship, operating in 10 feet of water, hit a natural gas pipeline and blew up about 6 p.m. Tuesday, shooting flames at least 200 feet into the air. The fire burned until about noon Wednesday….
“The boat had been fishing for menhaden in shallow water about a half-mile from shore and about 6 miles west of Sabine Pass on the Texas-Louisiana border when the explosion occurred, officials said….
“[A company spokesman] said the crewmen unaccounted for, including the unidentified dead, are Robert Hill Jr., 49, of Cameron; Francis Arthur, 48, of Cameron; Charles Jackson, 53, of Cameron; John Bartie, 28, of Lake Charles; Bennie Crawford, 27, of Lake Charles; James Willis, 60, of Lake Charles; Otis Benjamin, 37, of Port Arthur, Texas; John Jackson, 24, of Cameron; Timmy Thomas, 20, of Lake Charles, and Tony McDougle, 40, of Lake Charles.” (UPI. “Coast Guard gives up search for eight missing in ship explosion.” 10-4-1989.)
Sources
National Transportation Safety Board. Pipeline Accident Report. Fire on Board the F/V Northumberland and Rupture of a Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico near Sabine Pass, Texas, October 3, 1989 (NTSB/PAR-90/02). Washington, DC: NTSB, 9-11-1990, 79 pages.
United Press International. “Coast Guard gives up search for eight missing in ship explosion.” 10-4-1989. Accessed 5-17-2016 at: http://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/10/04/Coast-Guard-gives-up-search-for-eight-missing-in-ship-explosion/6215623476800/
[1] The Northumberland, owned and operated by the Zapata Haynie Corp., had departed from Cameron, Louisiana, where most of its crew were based, the day before on a 5-day menhaden (small herring-like fish found in shallow waters in the Gulf) fishing trip in the Gulf. (NTSB, p. 1.)
[2] A fishing operation using small boats and nets to encircle fish and load them onto the fishing vessel.
[3] As the name suggests a plane was employed to look for fish from the sky and radio locations to the vessel.