Marine incident onboard Tidewater vessel results in death of crewmember

A fatal incident took place on Tidewater's Polaris platform supply vessel during operations offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.
June 6, 2025
2 min read

Earlier this week, a marine incident involving an employee of Tidewater Inc., a subcontractor of Equinor, resulted in the death of the crewmember while onboard the Polaris platform supply vessel (PSV). The cause of the incident has not yet been reported.

Bracewell LLP, a law and government relations firm, submitted the following comments to Offshore on behalf of both of the companies. 

Vessel operator Tidewater stated, "Tidewater confirms with deep regret that a fatal incident occurred aboard one of its vessels, resulting in the death of a crewmember. The incident took place on the Polaris on 2 June 2025, while the vessel was on the Atlantic Ocean engaged in normal operations. Emergency response procedures were immediately initiated, and despite the efforts of the crew and emergency response agencies, the crewmember tragically passed away.

"Our thoughts are with the family, friends and fellow crewmembers affected by this loss. Tidewater is fully cooperating with the United States Coast Guard in the ongoing investigation to determine the cause of the incident. The safety of our crew remains our highest priority, and we are committed to supporting the investigative process in every way. No further details are available at this time. Additional information will be provided as appropriate."

Molly Morris, senior vice president for Equinor Renewables Americas, added, “This is a tragic marine accident. Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues who have lost a loved one. We extend our deepest condolences to all those affected."

Houston-headquartered Tidewater, owner of the Polaris PSV, operates a large fleet of offshore support vessels worldwide.

According to marinetraffic.com, as of June 6, the PSV was located off the US East Coast in the Upper New York Bay at Port Bayonne. 

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About the Author

Ariana Hurtado

Editor-in-Chief

With more than a decade of copy editing, project management and journalism experience, Ariana Hurtado is a seasoned managing editor born and raised in the energy capital of the world—Houston, Texas. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of Offshore magazine, overseeing the editorial team, its content and the brand's growth from a digital perspective. 

Utilizing her editorial expertise, she manages digital media for the Offshore team. She also helps create and oversee new special industry reports and revolutionizes existing supplements, while also contributing content to Offshore magazine, its newsletters and website as a copy editor and writer. 

Prior to her current role, she served as Offshore's editor and director of special reports from April 2022 to December 2024. Before joining Offshore, she served as senior managing editor of publications with Hart Energy. Prior to her nearly nine years with Hart, she worked on the copy desk as a news editor at the Houston Chronicle.

She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Houston.

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