On the evening of April 17, 2018, the cutter suction dredge Jonathon King Boyd punctured a submarine natural gas pipeline with a spud during dredging operations in Matagorda Bay, Texas. A gas plume ignited and engulfed the dredge and its accompanying towboat, the Bayou Chevron. All 10 crewmembers abandoned the vessels uninjured. Damage to the pipeline was estimated at $1.7 million. The Jonathon King Boyd and the Bayou Chevron were constructive total losses, valued at $5.5 million and $125,000 respectively.

​​The probable cause of the fire aboard the cutter suction dredge Jonathon King Boyd was RLB Contracting’s failure to inform the crew about utilities in the area due to ineffective oversight, which led to dropping a spud onto a ​buried submarine pipeline, causing natural gas to release and ignite.