WASHINGTON, D.C. (KLFY) – Answers to questions about what happened before and after the deadly Seacor Power lift boat accident may soon come through congressional hearings.
Louisiana’s congressional delegation: Sen. John Kennedy, Sen. Bill Cassidy, Rep. Clay Higgins, Rep. Steve Scalise, Rep. Garret Graves, Rep. Mike Johnson, and Rep. Julia Letlow sent a letter to leaders in the House and Senate to request hearings be held.
“This tragedy has exposed gaps in existing vessel response plans and has raised concerns regarding the recovery efforts, the frequency and timeliness of updates for the crewmembers’ families, as well as the time it has taken to remove the vessel from the water.”
“I absolutely support, and will be involved in, from a senior level, in the congressional oversight and investigation into what happened, to determine the truth, deliver that truth to the American people, then grow from that,” said Higgins.
“The U.S. Coast Guard’s response and decisions made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during search and rescue operations warrant the immediate attention and proper oversight of the U.S. Senate,” said Kennedy.
The lift boat capsized in rough weather on April 13th, just south of Port Fourchon. The actions of the Coast Guard that day have been under the microscope for leaving the scene to take a seriously injured member of the Seacor crew back to shore, before rescuing the rest of the crew on the boat, who were they were in radio contact with.
If hearings are held, highly decorated and experienced U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Will Watson, who was the incident commander for the search and rescue, will likely be called to testify.
Six crew members were rescued, six died, seven are still missing.
