United Cajun Navy suspends coordinated search efforts for missing Seacor crew members

The United Cajun Navy, the nonprofit volunteer group that aids in search and rescue operations, is suspending its search efforts for the missing crew members of the commercial liftboat that capsized last month.

Nineteen people were on board the Seacor Power, a 129-foot commercial liftboat, when it capsized April 13 about seven miles off the coast of Louisiana, according to the US Coast Guard. Six people were rescued, six bodies have been recovered and seven people remain missing.

Officials have said the details of the ship’s mission and where it was going are under investigation. Liftboats are used to service oil platforms and other offshore assets like wind farms.

In a Sunday morning post on its Facebook page, the United Cajun Navy (UCN) said it “would like to thank each and everyone who donated their time and resources to assist in the search for the 7 missing Seacor crewmen.”

“This has been a long and exhausting search effort and UCN did our part to assist in many ways,” it said.

UCN says that its assistance has mainly been through fundraising to help with the search efforts. The group also helped organize sea planes and used its social media platforms to organize search efforts, gather supplies and get resources needed to help in the search.

“UCN was not the only group involved in search efforts and we hope and pray the search continues,” the post says.