The owners of the ocean-going tug Gulf Service will face a suit for causing the deaths of Capt. Matteo Russo and his father-in-law John Orlando aboard the fishing vessel Patriot, which sank under mysterious circumstances in early January.
Joseph Abromowitz, attorney for the estate of the late Capt. Matteo Russo, 36, and his pregnant widow Josie, said yesterday he has begun the process of suing Louisiana-based Hornbeck Offshore Services, a publicly traded leader in the tank-barge industry that specializes in moving petroleum between ports.
The 126-foot-long Gulf Service was built in 1979 and is rated for 3,900 horsepower, according to the 2007 annual report for the $1 billion company.