Seacor Power Liftboat Capsizing Has Been Declared To Be A Major Marine Casualty

On April 15, 2021, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3^rd Class Carlos Garza declared the capsizing of the Seacor Power liftboat as a “major marine casualty.”  Officer Garza further explained that the event “qualified as a major marine casualty because the ship weighed more than 100 tons and is estimated to have sustained damage of $2 million or more.”

As of Friday, April 16, 2021, crews had “searched for a combined 70 hours covering approximately 6,380 square miles, an area roughly the size of Hawaii.”

More professional and “good Samaritan” rescue teams continue to enlist in the search for any potential survivors.  Techniques such as thermal imaging are also being utilized.  According to a report by the U.S. Coast Guard, “two people may have been detected by thermal imaging shot Tuesday night around 5:00 pm inside the capsized boat.”  According to the Coast Guard, rescue divers have also been scouring the ocean near the site in an attempt to help find the missing crewmembers.

Hope To Find Missing Crew Members

Despite the great efforts of many different organizations and volunteers, many family members are beginning to show frustration and concern regarding their unanswered questions.  Some family members have expressed the following:

“I think they should have divers working 24 hours, 24/7 but they closed it up at 10:00 o’clock last night.  Once they left, they should have had more divers going in and worked overnight, and they didn’t.”

“They don’t have any information to give us, so it’s like nobody’s saying anything.”  “We’re all just sitting around waiting and that’s the hard part—not knowing if your loved one is alive or deceased, but we’re just trying to just standing in faith, trust in God that we’re going to receive a phone call saying that they found him.”

“I have a really good feeling today,” she said from outside of a Port Fourchon firehouse. “But I don’t know if it’s because I’ve gotten more than 20 minutes of sleep for the first time in 48 hours.”

“The guy who got rescued said they are in there — all 12 should be in there in rooms waiting to be rescued,” she commented. “We’re trying not to think the worst. We have to keep the hope and faith alive.”

Tragedy Has Struck

For other family members, they have received the devastating news that their loved one did not survive the accident.  On Wednesday, the captain of the ship was found unresponsive.  On Thursday, a second body was found in close proximity to where the Seacor Power capsized.  The other ten crew members remain missing at this time.

Investigation Regarding the Cause of the Incident has Commenced

On information and belief, the vessel was hired by Talos Energy to make a delivery on the day of the incident.  It is still unknown if Talos is the company who made the decision to send the vessel and its crew members in such unsafe conditions, or if a different company was involved.

While the Coast Guard is leading the primary investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also joined in search and investigation efforts.  Questions such as “why the Seacor Power and its crew members were out on the dangerous waters?” remain unanswered.