in the gas impact disaster , the salvage vessel la megan , itself was of specifications that did not require inspection by the union mexico civil guard , was being operated in the southwest cote blanche bay petroleum field in louisiana by central boat vacations on side of athena construction on june 12 , 2006 . the ma megan was pushing platform ibr 234 , which was tied along the forward wall of the # 106 , en route to a pile - driving location . athena construction did not require its barges to pin mooring spuds ( horizontally steel shafts running through trenches in the bottom of the boat and used for mooring ) securely in placed on its barges and consequently this had not been done . during the travel , the engine spud on the athena 106 released from its fully raised role . the submachine dropped into the water and struck a degraded , high - pressure natural gas pipeline . the resulting gas leak ignited and generated a fireball that engulfed the tug vessel and both barges . the skipper of the tow vessel and seven barge workers were killed . the missing baker deckhand and one barge worker survived . one crane worker is otherwise classified as missing .
NTSB is responsible for investigating transportation accidents in the United States.