Marine Accident Brief: Overturning of the Liftboat Ram XVIII
Executive Summary
On November 18, 2018, about 0200 local time, the liftboat Ram XVIII overturned in the Gulf of Mexico, in West Delta block 68, located about 15 miles south-southeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana. Five crewmembers and ten offshore workers abandoned the vessel and were rescued. Three personnel suffered minor injuries during the evacuation. An estimated 1,000 gallons of hydraulic oil were released. The vessel was declared a constructive total loss at an estimated $1,140,000.
Probable Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the overturning of the elevated liftboat Ram XVIII was the industry practice of not regularly providing liftboat operators with adequate information about the seafloor composition, which resulted in the instability of the port leg due to unidentified conditions/hazards in seabed composition near the port leg landing site.