Barge Liberty Trader; Port of Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia

Port of Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia | 1994-Apr-15

Initial Notification: Early evening on April 15, 1994, the Coast Guard was alerted that the barge Liberty Trader, under tow by the tug Alert, had containers on fire and there were hazardous materials onboard. The hazardous materials included two containers filled with 55-pound paper drums of potassium hydroxide and a third container loaded with small aerosol cans including 200 pounds of nitrogen and 2,000 pounds of 1,1,1-trichloroethane. The Atlantic Strike Team (AST) was requested onscene and arrived later that evening, The U.S. Navy responded with tugs, and fire fighting operations began that evening An overflight by the AST early the next morning showed fires still burning inside some of the containers and fire water from the tugs was not reaching the hot spots. The containers for these materials were not on fire. USCG district 5. Keyword: none.