Gulf Boat Capsizing: What Vessels Are Prone To Tipping?

A 129-foot commercial lift boat, the Seacor Power, capsized in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2021. The boat, owned by Seacor Marine, was carrying 19 people when it was hit by a severe storm with winds of 80-90 mph and waves of 7-9 feet. Six people were rescued, and sadly, four bodies were recovered. Nine people remained missing.

The Seacor Power lift boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico during a storm on Tuesday, April 13, 2021

On Tuesday, April 13, 2021, the Seacor Power lift boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico during a storm. The boat was carrying 19 people, including the captain, David Ledet, when it was caught in a storm with winds of up to 90 mph and waves reaching 9 feet. The boat was on its way to an oil platform when it capsized.

The Seacor Power was a commercial lift boat, also known as a jackup rig, with retractable legs that could be lowered to the seafloor to raise the deck above the water. It was owned by Seacor Marine and was built in 2002. It had a crew and passenger capacity of 48 and could carry more than 40,000 gallons of fuel.

The Coast Guard received an emergency beacon from the Seacor Power at 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday, indicating that the boat was in distress. The cutter Glenn Harris, a 154-foot rescue ship, arrived on the scene within 30 minutes and rescued one person from the capsized vessel. Another Coast Guard boat crew and good Samaritan boats rescued five others.

The search for survivors continued for several days, with divers attempting to inspect the vessel and families of the missing crew members holding out hope that their loved ones would be found. Unfortunately, only six people were rescued, and five bodies were recovered, with eight people still missing and presumed dead. The Coast Guard ultimately discontinued their search and rescue efforts on April 19, after covering 9,268 square nautical miles.

The National Transportation and Safety Board launched an investigation into the incident, which was declared a "major marine casualty." The investigation revealed that the weather conditions encountered by the Seacor Power were worse than forecasted, and the decision to proceed was up to the captain, who had the company's full support.

Six people were rescued, four bodies were found, and nine crew members were still missing as of Sunday, April 18, 2021

On Sunday, April 18, 2021, six people had been rescued, four bodies had been found, and nine crew members were still missing after a boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico. The boat, the Seacor Power, was a 129-foot commercial lift boat with a crew and passenger capacity of 48. It capsized on Tuesday, April 13, in stormy weather about eight miles off the coast of Louisiana.

The Coast Guard and other rescuers had been searching for the missing crew members since the boat capsized. The search was challenging due to the murky and rough waters, with winds whipping up to 90 mph and waves reaching 9 feet high. Despite the difficult conditions, rescuers were able to rescue six people and recover four bodies as of Sunday, April 18.

The families of the missing crew members were clinging to hope, believing that their loved ones might have found an air pocket and could still be alive. The Coast Guard continued their search efforts, with divers trying to get inside the capsized boat. The boat's owner, Seacor Marine, also had a team of divers searching the vessel.

The National Transport Safety Board announced that it would investigate the incident, looking into the people involved, the equipment on the vessel, and the conditions during the accident. The investigation was expected to take up to two years to complete.

The capsizing of the Seacor Power lift boat in the Gulf of Mexico was a tragic event that left families grieving and searching for answers. The rescue and recovery efforts, as well as the subsequent investigation, aimed to provide some closure and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The Coast Guard and good Samaritans responded to the incident, with the Coast Guard pulling two people from the water and good Samaritans rescuing four

In April 2021, a lift boat called the Seacor Power capsized in the Gulf of Mexico during a storm. The boat was on its way to a Talos Energy Inc. oil platform when it was hit by winds of 80 to 90 mph and waves up to 9 feet high.

Good Samaritans play a crucial role in assisting the Coast Guard with rescue missions. They are often fellow boaters who are in the vicinity of an accident and can offer immediate support. In the case of the Seacor Power, the good Samaritans were likely alerted to the incident by the Coast Guard's urgent marine information broadcast and were able to help rescue those on board.

The Coast Guard's response to a capsized boat involves several steps. They will typically dispatch a rescue ship to the scene as soon as possible, as seen with the cutter Glenn Harris, which arrived within 30 minutes of the Seacor Power's distress signal. The Coast Guard will also deploy aircraft to search for survivors, as seen in the massive search effort for the missing crew of the Seacor Power, which covered 1,440 square miles and included five airplanes and three helicopters.

The Coast Guard's primary goal is to locate and rescue survivors, and they will work with good Samaritans and other authorities to achieve this. In the case of the Seacor Power, the Coast Guard divers were involved in the search for those missing, as they attempted to gain access to the capsized vessel. Unfortunately, despite these efforts, not all crew members were found.

The boat was on its way to a Talos Energy Inc. oil platform when it was overtaken by a storm with winds of 80-90 mph and waves 7-9 feet high

The boat was travelling to the oil platform when the storm hit. With winds of up to 90 mph, the conditions were treacherous and the waves towering. The boat was likely struggling to navigate through the swell, with waves reaching 9 feet—a challenging environment for any vessel.

The Gulf of Mexico is known for its unpredictable and rapidly changing weather, and this particular storm was especially fierce. The boat and its crew were ill-prepared for the extreme conditions, and their journey was soon fraught with danger. The high winds and towering waves would have made it difficult for the boat to stay on course and maintain stability.

As the boat battled against the elements, the storm's intensity increased. The crew likely faced immense challenges, with visibility reduced due to the spray and rain, and the powerful winds making communication difficult. The boat was at the mercy of the raging sea, being pushed off course and ever closer to the dangerous, unpredictable path of the storm.

The oil platform, owned by Talos Energy Inc., was the intended destination, but it quickly became clear that the boat would not make it. The journey, which may have started routinely, now faced insurmountable odds. The boat was overtaken by the storm, and the crew were at the mercy of nature's fury. The vessel's fate was sealed, and it capsized, overcome by the powerful forces of nature.

The specific boat that capsized has not been identified, nor have the details of the incident been released to the public. However, the treacherous weather conditions at the time of the accident are a testament to the dangers faced by those working in such environments. Swift decision-making and preparedness are crucial for survival when nature unleashes its fury.

Families of the missing crew members held out hope that their loved ones might be found alive, perhaps trapped in an air pocket inside the capsized vessel

On April 13, 2021, a 129-foot commercial lift boat, the Seacor Power, capsized in the Gulf of Mexico, around eight miles off Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The boat was carrying 19 people when it was overcome by a storm with winds of 80 to 90 mph and waves 7 to 9 feet high.

Six people were rescued alive, but 12 crew members were missing. The Coast Guard and other vessels searched an area of more than 1,440 square miles—an expanse larger than the state of Rhode Island—for the missing crew. The Coast Guard also deployed divers to search inside the capsized vessel.

The Seacor Power was a self-propelled work vessel with a broad open deck. It was owned by Seacor Marine, a Houston-based marine transportation company, and had a crew and passenger capacity of 48. It was on its way to a Talos Energy Inc. oil platform at the mouth of the Mississippi River when it capsized. Talos Energy stated that the decision to send the boat out on that day was made by Seacor Marine.

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