Nearly two months after the Seacor Power capsized off the coast of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, salvage crews are preparing to finally pull the overturned lift boat from the Gulf of Mexico.
Once raised, the doomed vessel will be moved to another location, where it will be examined by federal investigators working to shed light on the horrific tragedy that left 13 maritime workers dead or missing.
Seacor Power Capsized in Severe Squall
The Seacor Power, a 175-foot lift boat operated by Houston Texas-based Seacor Marine, had been chartered by Talos Energy for an 18-hour journey to the Main Pass Block 138 oil and gas lease area in the Gulf of Mexico. But the vessel was caught up in a severe squall just a few hours after departing Port Fourchon on April 13th.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report, the 19-member “crew decided to lower the Seacor Power’s legs to the seafloor to hold the vessel in position until the storm passed. The crewmember at the helm attempted to turn the Seacor Power into the wind as the legs began to descend. Before the turn was completed, the lift boat heeled to starboard and capsized.”
Only six crewmembers were rescued from the sea in the hours after the incident. The bodies of six others were recovered over the next several days, but 7 remain missing and are presumed dead.
No Timeline for Lift Boat Salvage Operation’s Completion
In May, salvage crews finished removing more than 20,300 gallons of diesel fuel from the lift boat’s storage tanks. However, 4,500 gallons of hydraulic fluid in inaccessible tanks that haven’t been comprised will remain on board until the vessel is raised.
Last Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard reported that a salvage crane was working to remove debris from the site while divers were prepping the Seacor Power to be raised. The Seacor Eagle, another Seacor Marine-operated lift boat, is being utilized in the salvage operation.
So far, the Coast Guard has not disclosed when the operation might be complete.
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