Coast Guard to hold Louisiana hearing on capsized lift boat

HOUMA, La. (AP) — The Coast Guard is holding a two-week hearing into the events surrounding a lift boat that flipped off the coast of Louisiana in April, killing 13 of the 19 people on board.

The hearing will happen at a hotel in Houma, beginning Monday and ending Aug. 13, the Coast Guard announced in a news release. The hearing is open to the public and will be livestreamed so people can watch online if they can’t attend in person.

The agency eventually will release a report with its findings — although that likely will take months.

The Seacor Power capsized about 7 miles (11.27 kilometers) off the coast of Louisiana on April 13 in hurricane-force winds. Six bodies were found and another seven are still missing and presumed dead.

A preliminary report by the National Transportation and Safety Board said the boat had begun lowering its legs as it tried to turn into heavy winds when it flipped over.

Lift boats have three legs that can be lowered to the sea floor to raise up the ship so it can serve as an offshore platform. When the ship is in transit, the legs are raised and stick straight into the air.

The NTSB is also conducting its own investigation.