On May 24, 2025, about 1020 local time, the sludge vessel Hunts Point was moored at the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant on the Hudson River, in New York, New York, when an explosion occurred aboard the vessel. One crewmember was killed, and three crewmembers sustained minor injuries. No pollution was reported. Vessel damage was estimated to exceed $10 million.
We determined that the probable cause of the explosion on board the sludge vessel Hunts Point was unapproved hot work being conducted above a tank that contained a cargo that produced flammable methane gas, resulting in the gas igniting and the subsequent overpressurization of the cargo tank.
