- 19 people were on board the 129-foot commercial lift vessel when it left port
- US Coast Guard repots that it had rescued six people so far
- The search is still ongoing for 13 others
Search and rescue operation is underway for the missing crew members of a large commercial ship that capsized off the coast of Louisiana.
There were 19 people on board when it left from Port Fourchon on Tuesday, according to a manifest. Previously, local officials said 18 and later revised the number.
As of right now, the US Coast Guard repots that it had rescued six people so far. The search is still ongoing for 13 others.
The search and rescue operation included an HC-144 Ocean Sentry plane from Corpus Christi, Texas, and four private vessels, in addition to several Coast Guard ships, boats and a helicopter.
The 129ft lift boat capsized about 8 miles from Port Fourchon on Tuesday evening.
The area experienced a weather phenomenon, a “wake low,” Tuesday afternoon, which resulted in winds of 70 to 80 mph that would have made seas very rough
A spokesman for marine transportation company Seacor Marine later identified the vessel as belonging to the firm.
A lift boat is a self-propelled vessel with an open deck, often using legs and jacks, and is deployed to support drilling or exploration.