liability
maritime-safety
- Glomar Java Sea Drillship Disaster of 1983: Facts and Lessons Learned The Glomar Java Sea, a self-propelled drillship owned by Global Marine Inc., capsized and sank in the South China Sea on October 25, 1983, after encountering Typhoon Lex. All 81 crew members died; only 31 bodies were recovered. Investigators cited extreme weather, structural vulnerabilities, dynamic positioning failure, and gaps in emergency preparedness. Families later received a $51 million settlement, then the largest in U.S. maritime history.
- What Happened at the Seacrest Drillship Disaster in 1989? The DS Seacrest drillship capsized in the Gulf of Thailand in early November 1989 when Typhoon Gay passed directly over it during drilling operations for Unocal. Storm warnings were ignored and the crew was never evacuated. Ninety-one workers died; six survived. Survivors and families of the deceased sued Unocal, alleging negligence and unseaworthiness, and the case settled for millions of dollars before trial.