Ahead of the soon to be published full National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation report into the Seacor Power capsizing, the agency has issued a report abstract.
NTSB says it finds no fault in the captain’s decision to get underway, but acknowledged gaps in weather data made available to the crew. The NTSB has issued three safety recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard and reiterated a fourth one about the use of personal locator beacons following the agency’s investigation into last year’s fatal capsizing of the Seacor Power liftboat in the Gulf of Mexico.
The NTSB is also making one recommendation each to the National Weather Service, Federal Aviation Administration and the US Air Force, two to the Offshore Marine Service Association, and three recommendations to the owner and operator of the vessel.
The NTSB said severe winds during a thunderstorm led to a loss of stability and ultimately the capsizing of the liftboat off the coast of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, back on April 13, 2021. Thirteen people were killed in the accident, including seven whose bodies have not been recovered. Six people were rescued by the Coast Guard and good samaritan vessels.
The NTSB determined the probable cause of the capsizing was a loss of stability that occurred when the vessel was struck by severe thunderstorm winds, which exceeded the vessel’s operational wind speed limits. Contributing to the loss of life on the vessel were the speed at which the vessel capsized and the angle at which it came to rest, which made egress difficult. High winds and seas in the aftermath of the capsizing hampered rescue efforts.
In the report abstract released by the NTSB, the agency said it found that the captain’s decision to get underway was reasonable and not influenced by commercial pressure. However, weather information provided on the morning of the capsizing to Seacor Power’s crew by the vessel’s owner and operator, SEACOR Marine, was “insufficient for making weather-related decisions about the liftboat’s operation.”
The NTSB has issued the National Weather Service, Federal Aviation Administration, and the Air Force a recommendation to work together to assess coastal weather radar sites to determine if it is safe and appropriate to lower radar angles, which could improve the ability to accurately forecast weather conditions.
The NTSB also issued three safety recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard.
1. To develop procedures to inform mariners in affected areas whenever there is an outage at a navigational telex broadcasting site.
2. To modify restricted-service liftboat stability regulations to require greater stability for newly constructed restricted-service liftboats.
3. To develop procedures to integrate commercial, municipal, and non-profit air rescue providers into Sectors’ and Districts’ mass rescue operations plans.
The NTSB also reiterated a recommendation to the U.S. Coast Guard to require all personnel employed on vessels in coastal, Great Lakes and ocean service be provided with a personal locator beacon. The NTSB also recommended the Offshore Marine Service Association notify members of personal locator beacons’ availability and value.
“We’ve been waiting five years for the Coast Guard to implement our recommendation on personal locator beacons — a call to action we’re renewing today for the fourth time,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “Mariners’ safety can’t wait, which is why I’m urging employers to invest in personal locator beacons for their crew. As the Seacor Power tragedy shows, the lifesaving promise of these devices cannot be overstated.”
Download the report abstract: SEACOR Power SRC Board Meeting Summary
