US firm Spartan Offshore Drilling has sued two other companies – one American, one German – for $7.8m in compensatory damages from a 2014 incident when one of its rigs was struck by another vessel.
The jack-up rig Spartan 303 was docked in Sabine Pass on the Texas-Louisiana border, when it was struck by the cargo ship Grey Fox, which was was being manoeuvred by tugboats.
The effect of the impact was to knock the Spartan 303 from its moorings. Damage incurred forced the Spartan 303 to be sent to dry dock.
The Grey Fox is owned by Germany’s Maritime Carrier Shipping (MACS) and the tugboats are owned by Moran Towing of New Canaan, Connecticut.
Spartan Offshore, the only privately held offshore rig provider in the US, is headquartered in Slidell, Louisiana.