Fireball in Gulf as tug collides with pipeline

AFP/Scanpix

Luke Johnson

 13 March 2013 23:32 GMT

A fireball bursting from the ocean's surface continued to burn on Wednesday after a tug and barge hit a gas pipeline owned by Chevron south of New Orleans on Tuesday evening.

The fire had been reduced by about 30% by Wednesday afternoon and there were no reports of oil in the water, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

"Visual imagery initially indicated potential pockets of crude oil," the statement said. "However, those areas have been determined to be particulate ash from" the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) burn off.

"The fire will diminish as the product diminishes," it added.

The pipeline was shut shortly after the collision at around 18:00 local time Tuesday evening near Bayou Perot 30 miles south of New Orleans.

Chevron said the line connects a gas plant in Venice, Louisiana, with…

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