Barge Carrying Fuel Explodes in N. J. Channel

A barge carrying more than 4.2 million gallons of fuel exploded in flames Tuesday on a waterway plagued by oil spills this year, and at least one man was injured, the Coast Guard said.

The barge, which had been loaded at a Citgo petroleum facility at Linden, broke into two parts after the explosion and drifted across the Arthur Kill waterway toward Staten Island, N. Y., officials said.

Coast Guard officials said the fuel aboard the barge Cibro Savannah was unleaded gasoline, but Citgo spokesman Kent Young said the vessel had just finished taking on heating oil.

Young said that the loaded barge had pulled about 150 feet from the dock when it exploded shortly before 1 p.m. He said there was a second explosion about 15 minutes later.

Linden Mayor Paul Werkmeister said two men on board jumped off when the explosion hit. Donald Wright, the barge’s captain, was treated for smoke inhalation at a hospital and was to be released, a spokeswoman said.

The explosion forced the closing of the water channel for the second time in two months. The Arthur Kill and connecting Kill Van Kull separate Staten Island from New Jersey. This year it has been the scene of oil spills from a broken pipeline, a punctured barge and broken barge-loading equipment.