Two Bodies Found, Two Missing After Explosion in Texas Port

The bodies of two missing crew members of a dredging boat were found on Saturday, Aug. 22 following an explosion a day earlier in the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The search for two other crew members of a dredging boat who went missing following the explosion was ended a few hours after the bodies of two crew members of the dredging vessel Waymon L Boyd had been found, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

“Our Coast Guard crews worked intently alongside state and local partners to locate the two crew members who remained missing, but unfortunately, we were unable to locate them,” said Capt. Edward Gaynor, commander, Coast Guard Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi. “The decision to suspend a search is never easy and a lot of factors are considered before suspending a search. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the friends and families of the missing crew members during this difficult time.”

The explosion happened at about 8 a.m. on Aug. 21 when the vessel struck a submerged pipeline, according to the Coast Guard, and Port of Corpus Christi officials said it was a natural gas pipeline.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the impacted crewmen and their families,” Sean Strawbridge, CEO, Port of Corpus Christi, said.

“A full investigation is underway; however, search and rescue efforts are our first priority. It will not be clear for some time the cause of this accident, and any definitive statements to the contrary would be premature,” Strawbridge added.

The Waymon L Boyd is owned by Houston-based marine construction contractor Orion Marine Group.

“We greatly appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and other responders in their efforts to recover our missing crewmen,” Orion CEO Mark Stauffer said in the statement.

The fire onboard the vessel was first extinguished Friday afternoon, but sparked again and was finally put out at approximately 10 p.m. on Aug. 21, shortly before the vessel broke apart and sunk, the Coast Guard said.

The vessel carried a maximum of about 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel, said Brent Koza, the regional manager for the Texas General Land Office, which investigates oil spills.

“We have identified and are preparing for that as our worst case discharge scenario,” and diesel is being recovered from the channel and around environmentally sensitive areas, Koza said.

Brooke West, spokeswoman with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said air quality tests have found no air pollution and testing of the waterway is planned.

“TCEQ will collect water samples from the ship channel near the site of the incident … this is still an active emergency response event,” West said.