An offshore oil industry boat operated by SEACOR Marine had begun to lower its legs and was trying to turn to face heavy winds when it flipped in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana last month, according to a preliminary federal report released last week.
The National Transportation Safety Board report does not discuss the cause of the deadly accident, reports NBC News. The full investigation could take up to two years.
The 175-foot lift boat SEACOR Power carried nine crew members, two galley staff and eight offshore workers when it overturned in the Gulf of Mexico during hurricane-force winds April 13, the report said. Lift boats have three or four legs, which tower above a boat that’s moving and can be lowered to the bottom to raise the vessel as a temporary offshore platform. Read the full story.
