Open water
When the liftboat Trinity II went over in Tropical Storm Nate, the men aboard did what mariners do: they held on. Some clung to a cork raft in open Gulf water, waiting for a rescue that came too late for several of them.
The survivors, and the families of the men who died, came from Bangladesh, Australia, and Mexico — one disaster touching three nations, and raising the questions international maritime cases turn on: whose law governs, and what is owed, when the flag, the company, and the crew all point to different places.
The legacy is not confidential
The recoveries are confidential. The legacy is not: the case was part of the push to require more than one emergency beacon (EPIRB) per liftboat — so that a capsized vessel’s call for help does not go down with it.
That is what accountability litigation is for. The families were provided for. And the next crew in the next storm has a better chance of being found.
What the evidence showed
- One capsizing; three countries’ worth of claims; one record of what the vessel lacked.
- The Trinity II capsized in Tropical Storm Nate with crew aboard; several men did not survive the wait for rescue.
- Claimants came from Bangladesh, Australia, and Mexico — novel questions of international maritime law.
- The litigation contributed to the push requiring more than one EPIRB per liftboat.
What changed
Confidential recoveries provided for the families. The beacon requirement is the part every future crew gets to keep.
More from the record
Every case is different. Prior results depend on the facts of the individual case and do not guarantee a similar outcome.