[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.

[shaggy eel]

,,, so how will they contain this situation? Is foam the best application? I don't know the first thing about acids and related chemical reactions.

[Dog Gone]

Local officials are now saying that if it explodes, it will only affect a radius of about 100 yards.

I don't know how they come up with that, but I hope that's right.

[stboz]

The sulfuric mixed with SALT water will form some hydrochloric acid fumes and by being diluted, it is also ionized. The metal from the barge will reduce the hydrogen ions to hydrogen gas. The whole mess could go BOOM and splatter acid all over the place. I wouldn't care to be downwind.