C/V Newark Bay; Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina | 1993-Aug-11

Initial Notification: In the early morning of August 11, 1993, a vapor cloud was seen moving over the Columbus Street Terminal in Charleston, SC. The cloud seemed to be coming from the deck of the 939-foot container vessel Newark Bay. The ship carried two 5,000-gallon intermodal tanks; one tank contained acetaldehyde oxime (CAS 107-29-9), the other chloroacetic acid (CAS 79-11-8). Either chemical could have caused the vapor cloud and, since the tanks were stacked one on top of the other, it was not initially known which was on top. These chemicals are incompatible and if they had combined in the proper proportions, there could have been a violent reaction. The Charleston Fire Department (FD) HAZMAT team performed the initial site survey in Level A protection from a crane that hoisted them over the deck of the ship. No vapor cloud was visible and neither tank appeared to be leaking. The FD HAZMAT team later determined that chloroacetic acid was leaking from a faulty valve on the top IMO tank, but no acetaldehyde oxime had been released. A six-inch hairline crack in the outer insulation skin of the container was also discovered. The vessel's owners accepted full responsibility for the discharge and hired local cleanup contractors. The tank owners (Hoyer USA, Inc.) hired a marine surveyor to examine the tank's structural integrity and determine the cause of the failure. The on-scene weather was mild, winds one-half to three knots, with afternoon winds forecast to be nine to ten knots. The USCG activated the AST and GST. USCG district 7. Keyword: Centers for Disease Control, evacuation, salvage.