January 20, 2011

Cargo Ship Collides With Fishing Boat - Tragedy Narrowly Escaped

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A 620-foot cargo ship has collided with a 51-foot aluminum hulled fishing vessel off the coast of Massachusetts. The three crewmen on gillnet boat MICHAEL BRANDON were rescued by the Coast Guard and the vessel towed back to Scituate. The fishing vessel suffered extensive damage and later sank at the pier. The MICHAEL BRANDON was reportedly fishing near the shipping lanes when the collision occurred. The cargo ship involved in the collision, West Bay, was sailing for New Orleans with a load of salt. It has been ordered to return to Boston for purposes of a Coast Guard casualty investigation into the cause of the sinking.

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Posted In: Vessel Collisions

June 28, 2010

Barge Collides With Fishing Vessel, Leaving Two Dead

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The tow boat BEAR CAT has been involved in a collision with a small pleasure craft on the Tennessee River. Only one of three persons aboard the small craft survived the accident. Early reports about the June 19, 2010 accident indicate that neither the tow boat nor the small boat was aware of the impending collision. The cause of the accident and why lookouts aboard the tug failed to sound a warning is under investigation by the Coast Guard. The BEAR CAT is owned by Serodino Inc. of Chattanooga.


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Posted In: Vessel Collisions

March 29, 2010

TWO SEINING BOATS COLLIDE DURING SITKA HERRING SEASON

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Two Seiners involved in the derby style Sitka Sac Roe Herring Fishery collided. Alaska State Troopers report that the F/V CONFIDENCE and F/V SHADY LADY collided on March 24, 2010. Substantial damage was reportedly suffered by the SHADY LADY. No serious injuries were reported in the collision and the cause of the accident is under investigation by the Coast Guard.

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Posted In: Vessel Collisions

February 1, 2010

GRAIN BARGE COLLIDES WITH BRIDGE ON OHIO RIVER

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The 70-foot tugboat, Gentry B, has collided with a bridge on the Ohio River. The cause of why the tugboat, which was pushing three loaded grain barges, collided with the bridge is under investigation by the Coast Guard. One crewman was reported injured in the accident. The Day Park Bridge was briefly shut down as a result of the accident. Inspectors and accident investigators form the Coast Guard and Kentucy Department of Transportation have since reopened the bridge to automobile traffic.

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Posted In: Vessel Collisions

December 23, 2009

COAST GUARD VESSEL COLLIDES WITH SMALL RECREATIONAL VESSEL KILLING AN 8-YEAR-OLD CHILD IN SAN DIEGO BAY

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A 33-foot-long Coast Guard vessel crashed into a 24-foot recreational vessel killing an 8-year-old child and seriously injuring five others. The accident happened in San Diego Bay during the annual Parade of Lights. Weather conditions were fair and clear, and the cause of the accident is under investigation. The Coast Guard vessel was reportedly responding to a grounded vessel.

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Posted In: Vessel Collisions

August 31, 2009

Coast Guard Responds to Collision Between Two Towing Vessels

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The Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Port Arthur, TX has reported a collision between two towing vessels on August 11, 2009. Both towing vessels, the CAROLINE and the MISS STACIE were pushing barges at mile marker 312 on the Intracoastal Waterway when the collision occurred.

According to the Coast Guard, after the collision, the CAROLINE began taking on water. A good Samaritan towing vessel, the REDEEMER was nearby when the collision happened and rescued the five crewmembers on board the CAROLINE. Once the crewmembers were rescued, the REDEEMER assisted with the CAROLINE’S five barges.

The Intracoastal Waterway was closed as a result of the collision between mile marker 310 to 315 and protective booming was placed around the CAROLINE which was partially submerged. Initial reports indicated a small oil sheen. A unified command consisting of the Coast Guard, Canal Barge Company, and Texas General Land Office is developing and evaluating salvage plans for the CAROLINE.

The collision is currently under investigation.

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Posted In: Vessel Collisions

August 5, 2009

Negligent Ship Pilot to Serve Ten Months for Bridge Collision and Oil Spill

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Captain John Joseph Cota was sentenced to ten months in federal prison after he caused the Cosco Busan, a 900-ft container ship to collide with the San Francisco Bay Bridge. This collision discharged approximately 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay, killing 2,400 birds of about 50 species, temporarily closing a fishery, and delaying the start of the crab-fishing season. According to prosecutors, Cota was “guilty of far more than a mere slip-up or an otherwise innocuous mistake that yielded unforeseeably grave damage. Rather, he made a series of intentional and negligent acts and omissions…”
Cota’s first mistake was departing in extreme fog. According to prosecutors the fog was so thick the bow of the vessel was not visible from the bridge. Regardless of the limited visibility, Cota continued on with his voyage. Furthermore, the vessel did not have a properly functioning radar. However, Cota did not notify the master or the United States Coast Guard that a piece of safety equipment was needed. Neither Cota nor any crewmember consulted the ship’s official navigations chart or take a single positional fix despite the lack of visibility. Finally, Cota did not disclose his medical conditions and prescription drug use on the required paperwork for the Coast Guard. Cota’s vessel eventually collided with the San Francisco Bridge after Cota was “confused regarding the operation of the electronic chart system upon which he chose to rely including the meaning of two red triangles that marked buoys marking the tower of the bridge that he eventually hit.”
The damage to the bridge, vessel and the economic impact to individuals was tens of millions of dollars. The clean-up cost for the bay exceeded $70 million. Numerous Brown Pelicans and Marbled Murrelets, two birds currently on the endangered species, were also killed because of Cota’s negligence. U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello hopes the court’s sentence of Cota will serve as “a deterrent to shipping companies and mariners who think violating the environmental laws that protect the waterways will go undetected or unpunished.”
The law office of Beard Stacey Trueb and Jacobsen, LLP urges all pilots and mariners to follow safety regulations and instructions while aboard a vessel. Please do not operate the vessel during unsafe conditions, such as heavy fog or without the proper safety and navigation equipment. The maritime lawyers at BSTJ, LLP represent injured mariners throughout the nation in claims involving the Jones Act and General Maritime Law. For any questions regarding maritime law or injuries sustained while working aboard a vessel, contact us at 206.282.3100 or visit our website at atsealawyer.com.

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Posted In: Vessel Collisions

March 6, 2009

FIVE CREWMEN RESCUED FROM GROUNDED FISHING TRAWLER

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The fishing vessel MAR-GUN issued a mayday call early this morning, reporting they were aground half a mile from St. George Island, Alaska. The five-member crew aboard the 112-foot Seattle based stern trawler were hoisted to safety by a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter. Weather at the scene was reported to be 57 mile per hour winds with 5-6 foot seas. No injuries were initially reported, and the accident will be investigated by the United States Coast Guard.

This is the second close call for an Alaska fishing boat in the past week. The ICY MIST went aground on Akutan Island on February 25th. Quick rescue action by the Coast Guard has been instrumental in saving the crews of the MAR-GUN and ICY MIST. Tragically, the first anniversary of the sinking of the ALASKA RANGER will be marked on March 23rd.

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Posted In: Vessel Collisions

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