Two die in shipyard blast

MOSS POINT, Miss. – Two people died and four were injured late Friday after an apparent flash fire in a tank on a 120-foot tugboat at VT Halter Marine in Moss Point. A crew was cleaning the tank and getting it ready to paint when there was an explosion. The cause is not yet known. The company has 200 workers at its Escatawpa site. VT Halter Marine builds small naval ships, research ships, tug-barge combinations and oilfield support vessels. (Sources: Sun Herald, 11/20/09, Mississippi Press, 11/21/09)