Fifth Circuit Applies Louisiana Law to Platform Indemnity Dispute, Finding Vessel's Transportation Role Insufficient for Maritime Contract Classification

The Fifth Circuit held that repair contracts for a hurricane-damaged offshore platform were governed by Louisiana law rather than maritime law under OCSLA, rejecting Genesis Energy's argument that a vessel housing crew and equipment played a "substantial role" in contract completion. The decision turns on whether vessels served merely as transportation and lodging or performed work integral to the repair contract itself, with significant implications for indemnity clause enforceability in Gulf of Mexico platform service agreements.