Officials Release Names of Two More Seacor Power Victims

Rescue officials have released the names of the two victims of the Seacor Power capsizing who were recovered from within the vessel on Friday. 

The additional victims were Anthony Hartford, 53 and James Wallingford, 55, both residents of Louisiana. Two others - David Ledet, 63 and Ernest Williams, 69 - were recovered from the water earlier in the week. 

Six survivors have been rescued alive, and the search for additional personnel continues, the Coast Guard said on Sunday. Commercial salvor Donjon Marine is conducting the dive component of the effort on behalf of operator Seacor, and the USCG is leading the surface search. 

Charterer points to vessel operator for responsibility

The charterer of the Seacor Power, Talos Energy, has suggest that the operator and the master of the vessel were in sole control of the lift boat's movements at the time of the capsizing.

“The Seacor Power was in port for service and inspections for several days prior to its departure," Talos said in a statement. "The vessel was not at a Talos facility and was fully under the command of its captain and Seacor Marine, including when to depart the port."

Seacor Power capsized and came to a rest on the bottom just three hours after her departure from Port Fourchon last Tuesday. The vessel was making a transit during a tropical storm force wind warning from the National Weather Service, which had predicted "suddenly higher waves" in the typically-calm region. At the time of the incident, winds were blowing up to 90 mph and waves were up to nine feet high, according to the Coast Guard.