Two escape injury in barge explosion when welding in poor ventilation

Did a lack of proper ventilation while welding cause an explosion aboard an empty crude barge? Two workers narrowly escaped injury during operations in Texas on March 25 aboard the MOC II, a 240-foott wide barge that was being prepped for service. A welder and his assistant vented their working space by "unconventional means," said a Coast Guard public affairs officer. The blast threw one man into the water, the other onto the adjacent dock and blew out windows from the tugboat Shirley Mahone which was tied up 100 yards away. The Coast Guard attributed the most likely cause of the explosion to improper ventilation. There was minimal pollution and containment booms were deployed.

Source: Washington Injury Lawyer Blog