The capsize of the Seacrest drillship disaster is one of the worst oil rig accidents in history. The ship was sunk by a massive typhoon — Typhoon Gay. 91 workers were killed when the drilling vessel capsized, with only six crewmen surviving. After the accident, survivors and family members of the deceased brought a massive lawsuit against the ship’s owners.
Here, we explain what happened to the Seacrest drill ship and the subsequent lawsuit.
The DS Seacrest — the “Scan Queen”
The DS Seacrest was a drill ship built by Far East Levingston Shipbuilding Ltd. in Singapore. Unocal Corporation owned Far East and was ultimately responsible for the accident. Also called the “Scan Queen,” the Seacrest did its primary operations in the Gulf of Thailand. It had been there since 1981. Its purpose was to drill gas wells for Unocal. It was located in the Platong gas field, an oil and gas geological structure on the Pattani oil and gas basin.
The ship was secured by eight anchors surrounding the Seacrest, each weighing 30,000 lbs. and connected by massive wire cables. In the summer of 1989, all cables were changed out for new ones shortly before the storm that caused this disaster.
Right Before the Storm
On Nov. 3, 1989, the ship was still in the Gulf of Thailand and engaged in drilling operations. The drill pipe reached a depth of 3,707 ft. It suffered through an initial tropical storm starting on Oct. 31, but the ship’s superintendent ignored many storm warnings. He even told employees to keep working because a typhoon had not been seen in the Gulf of Thailand for over 50 years.
Multiple forecasts warned of impending danger, but these were completely ignored.
Typhoon Gay and the Capsize of the DS Seacrest
When the Seacrest capsized, no typhoon had occurred in the Gulf of Thailand in the previous 40 years. While other typhoons had traveled outside and then entered the gulf, there was plenty of warning before these storms intensified or changed direction. Instead, the storm quickly gathered strength within the Gulf on that fateful day. It met typhoon classification strength as it neared the Seacrest.
Forecasts of the storm provided accurate predictions of the storm’s intensification and path, which put the Seacrest in harm’s way. Despite these forecasts, the superintendent and others responsible for the drilling ship failed to take proper steps. Unocal didn’t provide important data to the Seacrest until the day of the storm. By this time, it was too little, too late. They could not move men off the ship — an action that could have saved dozens of lives.
Typhoon Gay traveled over the men’s living quarters and directly over the ship itself. After the eye of the storm passed, the ship capsized. One survivor testified that immediately prior to the capsize, he witnessed the ship’s chief engineer at an ancho winch, trying to sever the anchor because the winch was not operating properly. At least two anchors were malfunctioning and tying the ship down. The ship took the high waves and predominant wind on its beam. It oscillated broadside with the wind. The high waves and strong winds were too much for the ship, flipping it over.
Search and Rescue Operations Following the Storm
Unocal and the Taiwanese Navy conducted search and rescue operations following the storm. Uncoal had no search and rescue plan nor did it have a standby vessel ready to tend to the Seacrest. Instead, the ship’s capsize was not discovered until the next day after it was found floating upside down by a helicopter. It was seen floating nearly four miles from the original well site. Divers traveled to the wreck to find any crew who could have been held within the hull, while boats and helicopters searched the surrounding waters for the crew who may still be alive.
By Nov. 5, rescue teams had searched a 30-mile radius surrounding the Seacrest without locating any survivors. The next day, the Taiwanese Navy rescued six workers approximately 62 miles from the Seacrest. These were the only survivors of the disaster. 91 crew perished due to Typhoon Gay and the irresponsibility of the drillship’s owners.
The Lawsuit Against Unocal
Four Thai survivors and family members of deceased crewmen sued Unocal for damages, including the wrongful deaths of their lost family members. They alleged that the company was financially liable because it knew or should have known about the risk of the storm from the forecasts. They also alleged that — in accordance with industry practices and standards — the ship should have been evacuated based on those reports.
They also claimed that Unocal was liable because the Seacrest was unseaworthy as the ship rested in drilling mode and that the ship capsized as a result. A great deal of investigation occurred to determine whether the Seacrest was seaworthy, with conflicting evidence and testimony from both sides. Ultimately, the case was settled and never went to trial. Unocal paid out millions of dollars in damages and wrongful death benefits to the surviving family members of the Seacrest crew.
Remembering the Seacrest Drillship Disaster
Remembering those lost in this disaster is important not only for their memory but also to prevent disasters like this in the future. Had Unocal and others responsible for the Seacrest made better decisions, countless lives may have been saved. Disasters like this may be caused by an oil company’s desire to prioritize profits over workers’ safety. Sadly, this prioritization of profits over safety is all too common in the offshore drilling industry.
When this happens, an offshore oil rig attorney is prepared to help. Offshore workers deserve compensation following injuries, and the families of those killed on the job are entitled to compensation as well.
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