C/B PONCE TRADER; New Orleans, LA

New Orleans, LA | 1996-Nov-15

Initial Notification: The 330' container barge PONCE TRADER arrived Sea Land New Orleans on the Industrial Canal on Nov. 9 with 31 damaged containers on deck and evidence of multiple hazmat releases and oil discharge. The incident started on the 7th. They reported losing 27 containers in the Gulf of Mexico after encountering rough seas. Six were reported recovered, and the remaining lost containers are believed to have sunk. There were 196 containers remaining on board upon arrival. 31 of these on "hatch" number 5 were damaged with 12 containing hazardous materials. There were NO incompatibility problems. Coast Guard, state, local, and industry response personnel and hazmat teams immediately responded and established a safety zone with appropriate air monitoring. Response operations began immediately. Off-loading of the barge's 165 undamaged containers from hatches 1, 2, 4, and 6 was accomplished by 0600 10 Nov. Ops since then have concentrated on safely "peeling" apart the stack of damaged containers. The primary hazardous materials of concern are toluene diisocyanate (TDI), dichloromethane (M2), and vinyl acetate. USCG district 8.