On November 4, 2019, an explosion occurred aboard the moored tank barge IB1940 at the Illinois Marine Towing Heritage Slip on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Lemont, Illinois, about 25 miles from Chicago. The IB1940's cargo of acetone had been unloaded, and the barge was being prepared for cleaning at the time of the explosion. No injuries or pollution were reported. The barge was declared a total constructive loss, valued at $1,750,000.
The probable cause of the explosion aboard the barge IB1940 was the company’s incomplete procedures that did not incorporate the safety instructions included in the Facility Operations Manual regarding the electrical bonding of air movers to barges, resulting in an unbonded air mover being operated in a cargo tank with residual acetone, thereby causing a static electrical discharge, which ignited flammable vapors in the tank.
