Egan Marine Corporation News

An explosion onboard the EMC423 tank barge on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Wednesday evening has resulted in the presumed death of a crewmember and the closure of the waterway, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. The tank barge that exploded was carrying approximately 588 thousand gallons of Clarified Slurry Oil. This cargo is a byproduct of the oil refining process and is used to make fuel oils. It was loaded onto the barge at the Exxon Mobile Plant in Joilet, Ill., and was destined for the Ameropan Oil Corporation facility in Cicero, IL. The tank barge involved in the explosion is owned and operated by the Egan Marine Corporation. Egan Marine operates a small fleet of barges and towboats in Lemont, Ill.

At approximately 4:45 p.m. on January 19, 2005 a tank barge that was owned and operated by Egan Marine Corporation exploded and sank in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal just east of the Cicero Avenue Bridge. One crewmember died as a result of the explosion. Salvage operations are currently underway to remove the barge from the canal. At the direction of the Ninth District Commander, the Coast Guard will convene a formal hearing beginning at 10:00 a.m. on April 4, 2005 to determine the cause of this casualty. The Coast Guard hearing will be open to the public and will be held at the William Tell Holiday Inn in Countryside, IL. Media…