[shaggy eel]

Perhaps they shouldn't ship such chemicals together.

,,, if anything goes wrong, someone will have to answer why the cargo wasn't barged separately or better segregated.

[Ramius]

I had to run down a couple of doors and talk to a chemist about this.

Dilution of a strong acid is an exothermic process. It makes heat. This is why you always add acid to water, not water to acid. Water leaking into the barge would generate a lot of heat. This and the reaction of the water and acid with the metal in the barge may get hot enough to split the water into Hydrogen and Oxygen. The bubble of gas is under increasing pressure all the time as the temperature rises.

It could end very badly.

[Ready4Freddy]

No 'mix' of chemicals, it's all suulphuric acid, apparently.

"The Coast Guard said the safety zone extends through the commercial area around the barge and will not effect (sic) recreational sea vessels."

*sigh*