Maritime Injury Law Blog

The Coast Guard will be conducting safety spot checks, voluntary dockside exams, and offering basic safety training in various Northwest ports from November 26-28, 2007 as part of "Operation Safe Crab."

Coast Guard examiners will be checking that vessels have all the proper safety equipment on board and that proper pot loading practices are being followed. As part of the equipment check they will be looking at survival suits, EPIRBS, and life rafts, to make sure they are ready for use should an emergency at sea occur. Past checks have found that 25% to35% of EPIRBS and life rafts are installed improperly. If any deficiencies are found during these checks the vessel may be restricted from operating until they are corrected.

The ultimate goal of "Operation Safe Crab" is to reduce the number of lives lost at sea. Commercial Dungeness crabbing vessels have the highest fatality rate of any West Coast fishery.

Posted by Beard Stacey & Jacobsen, LLP at 10:39 AM | Permalink

Monday, November 26th, 2007: Lady Blackie, a 90 foot fishing vessel, began taking on water at about 4:45 am in Wide Bay in Shelikof Strait. An EPIRB signal alerted the Coast Guard, who was able to make contact with the boat and learned that the vessel was taking on water and the crew could not access the pumps.

The three men and one woman donned survival suits and boarded the life raft with their dog, Tusk, an additional EPIRB, strobe lights, and a parachute flare. They were located about 30 minutes later by the Coast Guard, in good condition, and were praised for doing all the right things to be found quickly and safely.

Posted by Beard Stacey & Jacobsen, LLP at 10:38 AM | Permalink

On Friday, November 23, 2007 the Canadian cruise ship "M/S Explorer" began taking on water after hitting submerged ice off of Antarctica's South Shetland Islands. 154 tourists and crew abandoned ship into lifeboats, and were later picked up by the Norwegian liner Nordnorge, that took them safely to a Chilean air force base on King George Island in South America.

The Explorer was owned by Susan Hayes of G.A.P. Adventures of Toronto, a tour company that leads eco-friendly cruises. The Explorer was in the middle of a 19-day trip around Antarctica and the Falkland Islands when the incident occurred.

The Explorer listed to it' starboard side shortly after the collision and by Friday evening had sunk. No injuries were reported.

Posted by Beard Stacey & Jacobsen, LLP at 10:35 AM | Permalink