The US Coast Guard (USCG) has found a body as the search continued on Thursday for 12 other seafarers missing after a Seacor Marine liftboat capsized off Louisiana.
Six survivors were rescued from the 2,300-gt Seacor Power (built 2002) on Wednesday after it was turned over by hurricane-force winds.
The 39-metre vessel capsized 12km from Port Fourchon on Tuesday afternoon.
Deadly winds
There had been 30 minutes of 120 km per hour winds in the area, followed by hours of winds over 80kph.
"That's challenging under any circumstance," Coast Guard Captain Will Watson said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"We don't know the degree to which that contributed to what happened, but we do know those are challenging conditions to be out in the maritime environment."
One crew member was found dead on the surface of the water, Watson added.
Asked about the prospects for the missing crew, he said: "We are hopeful. We can't do this work if you’re not optimistic, if you're not hopeful."
Divers headed to the local area on Wednesday afternoon, Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer John Micheli said.
Time of the essence
Lafourche Parish president Archie Chaisson III said time was critical in the rescue effort, especially because more rough weather was forecast.
"The hope is that we can bring the other 12 home alive," Chaisson added.
AP reported that Marion Cuyler, the fiancee of crane operator Chaz Morales, was waiting with wives and family of other missing workers at a fire station near a landing site where helicopters were coming and going.
She said she talked to her fiancee before he left on Tuesday.
"He said that they were jacking down and they were about to head out, and I'm like, 'The weather's too bad. You need to come home.' And he's like, 'I wish I could,'" she added.
The self-propelled, self-elevating vessel is used to support drilling or exploration activities. The USCG said it had received an emergency radio notification at 2130 GMT.
The statement added that an "urgent marine information broadcast" had been issued which "multiple good Samaritan boat crews responded to".
Civilian vessels helped out
Two USCG ships rescued one person each, while civilian vessels found another four seafarers.
Four USCG vessels, four civilian ships and an Ocean Sentry sea aeroplane were taking part in the search on Wednesday.
The vessel has insurance cover from Skuld in Norway. There are no port state control inspections on record for the ship.
VesselsValue assesses Seacor Power as worth $1.82m.
