The situation for 12 maritime workers still missing in the Gulf of Mexico grows direr by the hour as the search continues. At this point, six crew members have been rescued from the stricken ship, the Seacor Power, a 129-foot liftboat. Also, one crew member has been found dead in the still-turbulent waters off of New Orleans. He has been identified as David Ledet, a 63-year-old ship captain from nearby Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish.
What Went Wrong?
The disaster began on Tuesday as the Seacor Power was on its way to a Gulf worksite. With minimal warning, a string of severe thunderstorms began to pound the ship with massive waves between 7 and 9 feet in height. At some point, the rough seas and high winds became too much for the enormous vessel, causing it to capsize at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday.
The cause of the severe weather was a freakish weather event known as a “wake low,” which, unfortunately, can cause hurricane-force winds. One former co-worker on the doomed Seacor Power, Joshua Segura, stated that, while liftboat crews plan for emergencies of this kind, “the wake low was simply too intense.”
Divers Begin the Task of Searching the Almost Fully Submerged Seacor Power
As of this writing, professional rescue divers were preparing to enter the crippled liftboat from underwater and search for trapped or deceased crew members. (An attempt Tuesday evening was called off due to severe weather in the area.) There is hope that some may have found air pockets where they could survive.
Missing Crew Members Siad to Still Be on Capsized Liftboat
News continues to come in regarding the Seacor Power capsizing. In the last few hours, local officials reported that all 12 of the ship’s missing crew members are believed to still be on the liftboat itself. Of those 12, 2 are said to be in a “particularly good” situation, according to an unnamed source.
In the Gulf waters surrounding the capsized Seacor Power, ten divers search for 12 missing crew members while their families wait anxiously back on land. The hope is that, in the next 24 hours, those divers will come back to the surface with news of survivors.
