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2 American oil workers rescued after drifting for 3 days in the Gulf

Posted on Sep 13, 2011

Two American workers adrift for three days in the Gulf of Mexico after evacuating their platform amidst Tropical Storm Nate were among seven survivors rescued on Sunday.

Jeremy Parfait of Houma, La. and Ted Derise of New Iberia, La., were discovered by a vessel 50 miles off the coast of the Mexican state of Campeche. They had survived since fleeing their liftboat Trinity II by enclosed liferaft Thursday about eight miles from the port of Frontera in the state of Tabasco. Four Mexicans were among the survivors along with a Bangladesh national who later died after being taken to a Mexican hospital.

The workers put out a distress call that afternoon while Nate raged with 70 to 80 miles an hour winds and 20 to 25 foot seas, disabling the vessel. The 94-foot, 185-ton vessel was owned by Trinity Liftboat Services of New Iberia. It operated by lowering legs to the sea bed and elevating itself above the water surface. It served as a recording vessel and housed the crew in waters around 25 feet in depth.

A fellow American did not survive. Craig Joseph Myers, 32, a native of New Iberia, La., died. His body was recovered, though latest news reports did not specify if his body was found in the raft or in the water. Funeral services for Craig Joseph Myers are pending. He worked as a crane operator for Trinity Liftboats. According to the Mexican Navy, four survivors and one of the deceased was located in the boat while the three other survivors and another body were pulled out of the water.

The fate of another New Iberia resident, Nick Reed, was still unknown. He has not been accounted for. Two unidentified bodies were recovered and one worker remained missing.

The workers were employed by Geokinetics, Inc. of Houston.

Search by boat and air was still being conducted to find the missing worker.

Source: Fuelfix.com

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