HOUSTON -- Families of crew members killed or missing in the sinking of the Glomar Java Sea off the coast of Vietnam in 1983 have agreed to a $51 million settlement, the largest in U.S. maritime history, court officials said.
Relatives of the 81 crewmen, representing 35 families, filed suit after a ruling by the National Transportation Safety Board last year cited Global Marine of Houston, owner of the drilling ship, and Atlantic Richfield Co. for negligence.
The ship, leased to ARCO, sank Oct. 13, 1983, in the South China Sea during a typhoon. Divers recovered only 31 bodies.
Attorneys for Global Marine and ARCO said the companies did not accept blame for the deaths by agreeing to the settlement.
'It was a tragic accident,' said ARCO attorney Eugene Silva.
A court hearing had been scheduled Monday to decide if Glomar and ARCO's liability should exceed liability limits set by maritime law. Normally, the law protects companies from damages exceeding the ship's worth.
Instead, U.S. District Judge Norman Black approved the out-of-court settlement in which it was stipulated neither company accepts blame for the accident.
Fred Hagans, the attorney in charge of the committee of lawyers representing the families, said the settlement was the largest in U.S. maritime history, with Global agreeing to pay $38.5 million to 35 families.
All but one family settled with Global while 22 reached agreement with ARCO, Hagans said. ARCO agreed to pay $12.5 million. Other plaintiffs still can pursue claims in the state courts.
Some relatives have said they believe some of the crewmen made it to shore and are being detained in Vietnam.
Douglas Pierce of Austin, Texas, father of one crewman, has said he received letters from Vietnamese citizens reported sightings of Americans who fit the descriptions of some of the missing men.
