WASHINGTON (April 27, 2022) — The National Transportation Safety Board opened the public docket Wednesday as part of its ongoing investigation of the April 13, 2021, fatal capsizing of the liftboat Seacor Power near Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
A rain squall passed over the vessel as it transited the open waters of the gulf. Visibility dropped and the winds increased significantly, so crew decided to lower the Seacor Power's legs to the seafloor to hold the vessel in position until the storm passed. When the legs began to descend, the crewmember at the helm attempted to turn the vessel into the winds. Before the turn was completed, the Seacor Power heeled to starboard and capsized. Nineteen personnel were aboard the vessel, including nine crew, two galley staff, and eight offshore workers. Six people were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and good Samaritan vessels, six people died and seven people are missing and presumed dead.
The docket for the investigation includes more than 8,000 pages of factual information, including interview transcripts, a meteorology report and other investigative materials. As the investigation continues, additional material may be added to the docket as it becomes available.
The docket contains only factual information collected by NTSB investigators; no conclusions about how or why the Seacor Power capsized should be drawn from the information within the docket. Analysis, findings, recommendations and probable cause determinations related to the capsizing will be issued by the NTSB in a final report at a later date.
The public
docket is available online.
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).
