Investigation into Seacor tragedy highlights need for locator beacons

(U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

The results of an investigation into the deadly capsizing of an oil industry boat off Louisiana’s coast that killed 13 mariners in April 2021 has underlined how personal beacons could save lives, reports The Guardian.

The report into the capsizing of the Seacor Power during severe weather in the Gulf of Mexico concluded that hurricane-force winds, rather than any other suspected factor, were the primary reason the vessel overturned.

Rescue efforts were hampered by rough seas, winds and the fact that the boat flipped upside down, officials said during a National Transportation Safety Board meeting. Six crew members were discovered dead and seven have never been found. Only six of the crew are known to have survived. Read the entire story.