As this blog previously noted when discussing the Jones Act, commercial diving insurance may have different needs to address depending on the type of work done and in which body of water it occurs.
This is because divers see all kinds of work. One example is a strange and tragic story that comes from the Deseret News in Utah. The source reported that a recent diving operation was conducted to find the remains of a truck that crashed into the Deer Creek Reservoir while transporting more than 700 live turkeys.
Though the driver managed to escape, many of the birds were killed and the accident left debris and gasoline in the reservoir. To try and stem the damage done by this occurrence, multiple companies were contacted, including the hazardous materials company Enviro Care Inc.
The COO of that company, Jon Hart, described the urgency and breadth of this peculiar operation.
"Our aim is to get every last one of (the turkeys) out," he said. "It's critical to remove any of this fuel so it doesn't make it into the drinking water."
According to a local Fox News affiliate, Hart has also said that there could be as many as 150 dead turkeys lying 70 feet underwater, as well as pieces of the destroyed vehicle that carried them. The mere presence of this material in the reservoir for a prolonged period of time could eventually pose a threat to residents who depend on it.
Because this is an urgent operation, it's unclear how long the dive team will be active there. Managing all of the equipment and staff necessary to sort through this wreckage, not to mention diving support vessel insurance, could be a trying task.