Douglas-J.

The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple partner agencies responded to a fire on the barge 'American Trader', 6076 gt (IMO: 8640870), in Delaware Bay on March 10, 2026, after the 'Douglas J'' reported that the barge it was towing had caught fire. Watchstanders at Sector Delaware Bay received a call at approximately 8:20 a.m. from the tug. The towed barge was carrying scrap metal. It was pulled to a position about two miles off Maurice River Cove, New Jersey, in an effort to move the incident away from the main shipping channel while firefighting operations continued. The Coast Guard established a safety zone and issued a Broadcast Notice to Mariners as crews worked to contain the fire and reduce potential hazards to vessel traffic in the port complex. Multiple fire departments deployed fireboats to assist with suppression efforts. Responders from Coast Guard Station Philadelphia, Coast Guard Station Cape May, and Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City have been deployed to assist. Several hours later, the fire continued to burn, though ship traffic in the area remained unaffected. Boats were observed on both sides of the stationary barge, deploying water cannons onto the burning metal piles as thick smoke billowed from multiple points on the vessel. No injuries have been reported. On March 11, fire crews remained working to put out the blaze. Specialists were taking measurements of environmental indicators to assess the impact of metal combustion products on the bay's resources. After the fire was brought under control, the U.S. Coast Guard ensured the vessel was stable and able to safely proceed to Camden, New Jersey, where the material was to be offloaded. A marine salvage company hired by the barge's owner was developing a salvage plan. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control continued to monitor air quality in Delaware through a system of land-based air monitors. Although the Delaware State Emergency Management Agency initially stated that it was conducting internal monitoring, it was later clarified that the main coordination of environmental oversight is carried out by the services of the neighbourng state in cooperation with the Coast Guard. The cause of the fire remained under investigation. Agencies involved in the response were so far: - Wilmington Fire Department; - Delaware City Fire Department; - - Philadelphia Fire Department; - New Jersey Office of Emergency Management; - Delaware Emergency Management; - Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay; - Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City; - Coast Guard Staton Cape May; - Coast Guard Station Philadelphia
. Reports with photos and video: https://www.workboat.com/delaware-barge-fire-extinguished https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2026/03/10/barge-fire-delaware-bay/4a355568-1ca9-11f1-a29c-fd43da9a479a_story.html https://gcaptain.com/coast-guard-responding-to-large-barge-fire-in-delaware-bay/ https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/delaware-river-barge-fire-bay-today/ https://nz.news.yahoo.com/massive-fire-erupts-scrap-metal-181456846.html https://whyy.org/articles/delaware-bay-scrap-fire-barge-air-quality/ https://unn.ua/en/news/rescue-services-are-extinguishing-a-large-scale-fire-on-a-barge-carrying-scrap-metal-in-delaware-bay https://6abc.com/post/massive-fire-erupts-scrap-metal-barge-delaware-river/18699391/

On Nov 5, 2013, a barge loaded with 80,000 barrels of low sulfur diesel fuel went aground off Fort Point near Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The "Mediterranean Sea" was maneuvering to start pushing from the stern,when the barge drifted onto a shoal. The barge was able to be moved off the shoal and berthed where it is expected to offload its cargo. Authorities assessed the damage on Nov 6. The captain of the tug was given drug and alcohol tests as required. The alcohol test was negative and the drug test results were pending.