The National Transportation Safety Board just released its preliminary report about the capsizing of the Seacore Power lift boat in the Gulf of Mexico last month, revealing that the boat capsized as the helmsman tried to put its legs down when it was swept by a sudden, violent storm.
The boat had 19 people on board when it left Port Fourchon, the southernmost port in Louisiana, on April 13. Six were rescued after the accident by Good Samaritan boats and the Coast Guard, six others died, and seven are still missing. The NTSB report made clear how fast conditions changed, and how bad they were when the Seacore Power capsized.
Earlier in the day, all seemed well. A weather report at 7:02 a.m. that was emailed to the lift boat predicted winds of 9 to 12 knots with 3-foot seas in the Gulf. But at 3:30 p.m., a heavy squall hit the vessel when it was eight miles offshore.
The NTSB report said, “With visibility dropping and winds increasing significantly, the crew decided to lower the Seacore 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 Seacore Power into the wind as the legs began to descend. Before the turn was completed, the lift boat heeled to starboard and capsized.” That was at 3:42 pm.
Several people escaped onto the exposed port side of the deckhouse. Others were washed off into the Gulf; others were trapped inside. The NTSB said that winds of 30 to 40 knots and seas of 10 to 12 feet prevented rescuers from reaching people on the lift boat. Six people were rescued from the water, one with serious injuries.
Other boats in the area reported heavy rain with winds up to 80 knots and building seas. Rescue efforts were hampered by 30- to 40-knot winds and 10- to 12-foot waves into that night and the next day.
Lift boats are self-propelled vessels with large open decks used to support oil and gas drilling and construction offshore. They usually carry cranes on deck, and they have legs that can be jacked down to provide a stable platform for offshore work. The Seacore Power had three legs that could be deployed down 195 feet below the surface. Read the NTSB report here:
https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/DCA21MM024-preliminary-report.pdf
