Maritime Injury Law Blog

Published on: March 31, 2026

NTSB Finds Captain’s Sleep Debt Caused the Grounding of F/V Eileen Rita

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its findings on the April 11, 2025, grounding of the commercial F/V EILEEN RITA near Green Island, approximately eight miles east of Boston. It has been determined that the cause was preventable; the captain fell asleep at the helm. The complete report can be found at NTSB.

The 86-foot scallop dragger left Boston Harbor at 10:00 p.m. on April 10, 2025, to fish Stellwagen Bank and was returning to port when the grounding occurred at 7:31 a.m. The NTSB found that in the 48 hours before the accident, the captain had logged only eight hours of sleep which were broken into three short segments. He was alone on watch while the two deckhands were asleep, and the vessel was on autopilot when he nodded off. He had adjusted the heading 15 to 20 degrees to port in an effort to clear a lighthouse, sat down, and fell asleep. About ten minutes later, the F/V EILEEN RITA struck the rocks.

“I didn’t realize how tired I was…until it was too late,” the captain told investigators. It is a sentence that will be familiar to anyone who works at sea.

Published on: March 24, 2026

What is Unseaworthiness? Maritime Legal Rights You May Not Know You Have

by Nigel Stacey

If you were injured working on a fishing vessel, crab boat, or tug, you’ve probably heard about the Jones Act. But there’s another legal doctrine that maritime workers can use to seek compensation, one that is sometimes overlooked. It’s called the right to a seaworthy vessel, and it’s been protecting maritime workers for over a century.

A vessel is considered unseaworthy if any part of its equipment, crew, or overall condition is not adequately suited for its intended use. This is broader than most people expect.

It doesn’t just mean the boat was sinking. Courts have found vessels unseaworthy because of a wet or icy deck with no non-slip surface, a defective winch or pot hauler, lines or gear that were worn or wrong for the job, inadequate crew for the vessel’s demands, or failure to provide proper safety equipment.

Published on: March 18, 2026

Two Killed in Confined Space Incident Aboard Barge Near Ketchikan

by Nigel Stacey

It is with great sadness that we report the deaths of two maritime workers following a fatal confined space incident aboard the freight barge WAYNEHOE, moored approximately 25 miles northwest of Ketchikan, Alaska, near Skowl Arm on Prince of Wales Island.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska in Juneau received a mayday call at 9:14 a.m. on Sunday reporting that the crew of the tug vessel CHUKCHI SEA had lost contact with four crewmembers inside a confined space aboard the barge. The tug and barge are owned by Hamilton Marine Construction, a Bellingham, Washington-based company.

The U.S. Coast Guard directed the launch of a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Ketchikan, with members of the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department aboard, to respond to the incident. While en route, the crew of the CHUKCHI SEA recovered one deceased crewmember and assisted two survivors out of the confined space.

Published on: March 17, 2026

Three Fishermen Rescued After Vessel Sinks Off Maine Coast

by Nigel Stacey

A prompt U.S. Coast Guard response saved three fishermen’s lives off the coast of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, on Wednesday March 11^th, 2026, after the 40-foot F/V VESTA RENEE sank approximately 23 miles offshore.

The distress call came in at 7:03 a.m., when the crew radioed U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England on VHF Channel 16. The vessel was taking on water fast, and the mariners made the decision to abandon ship.

Within ten minutes of receiving the mayday, the U.S. Coast Guard had launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Boothbay Harbor, an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft, and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod. Rescuers also asked the fishermen to activate their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), a critical step that helped pinpoint the crew’s location in open water.

Published on: March 10, 2026

In Memory of AST2 Tyler Jaggers: Honoring a Hero

by Nigel Stacey

The maritime community lost one of its finest on March 5^th, 2026. Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Tyler Jaggers, assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, passed away from critical injuries sustained while rescuing a distressed mariner from a commercial vessel offshore.

On February 27, 2026, Jaggers was part of an MH-60 Jayhawk crew responding to a medical emergency aboard the G/C MOMI ARROW, which was located approximately 120 miles west of Cape Flattery, Washington at the time of the incident.

In the hours that followed his injury, Jaggers was airlifted to Victoria General Hospital in British Columbia, then transferred to Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington, where he received medical care surrounded by those who loved him.

Published on: March 3, 2026

Remembering Todd Meadows, A Young Father Lost at Sea

by Nigel Stacey

Last week, the commercial fishing community experienced a significant loss with the passing of one of its members, affecting people well beyond the industry itself.

Todd Morgan Meadows, 25, a deckhand aboard the F/V ALEUTIAN LADY and a familiar face to fans of Deadliest Catch, passed away on February 25, 2026, in Alaskan waters. He was a son, a brother, a crewmate, and most importantly, a devoted father to three young boys.

Captain Rick Shelford announced the tragic news on Facebook.

Published on: February 24, 2026

When Weather Forecasting Fails Fishermen Suffer

by Nigel Stacey

Before any commercial fishing vessel leaves the dock in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, or California, captains perform an essential task; they check the weather forecast. Marine forecasts, buoy data, and storm advisories determine whether a crew goes out. That information comes from a federal infrastructure system most fishermen take for granted, until it breaks down.

Federal budget conflicts in Washington, D.C. have consequences that reach beyond the capital. For commercial fishermen, cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) create real safety hazards on the water.

Since early 2025, hundreds of NWS and NOAA employees have left due to layoffs and attrition. About 40% of the nation’s 122 weather forecast offices now carry significant staffing vacancies, and at least eight are unable to maintain 24-hour coverage. As Tom Fahy of the National Weather Service Employees Organization noted, “This has never happened before. We’ve always been an agency that has provided 24/7 service to the American public.” Five former NWS directors issued a joint warning to Congress: “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life.”

Published on: February 17, 2026

New Coast Guard Cutter for Alaska’s Demanding Waters

by Nigel Stacey

The USCGC FREDERICK MANN is the sixth Fast Response Cutter (FRC) assigned to the Arctic District and the third for Kodiak. These aren’t ceremonial vessels, they are crucial for conducting search and rescue operations when fishing vessels are in distress, patrol fisheries to protect one of the nation’s most valuable natural resources, and defend the maritime borders.

Alaska’s coastline is longer than the entire rest of the United States combined. However, for decades the U.S. Coast Guard has relied on aging patrol boats built in the 1980s to cover this area. The new generation of FRCs represents a significant upgrade. These new vessels are equipped with advanced surveillance and communications systems and capable of deploying smaller boats over the horizon to reach vessels in distress or under suspicion.

The USCGC FREDERICK MANN will be incorporated into the U.S. Coast Guard during a significant period of modernization. After the commissioning of the USCGC STORIS (the service’s first new polar icebreaker in more than 25 years) the Arctic District is also set to receive two additional Offshore Patrol Cutters soon. For a region where climate change is opening new shipping lanes and creating new security challenges, this is an important addition.

Published on: February 10, 2026

Coast Guard Launches Formal Investigation into Fatal F/V Lily Jean Sinking

by Nigel Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard has officially launched a district-level investigation into the sinking of the fishing vessel LILY JEAN, which occurred approximately 25 miles off Cape Ann, Massachusetts, and resulted in the loss of seven lives.

Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Northeast District, Rear Adm. Michael Platt, authorized the inquiry after the 72-foot commercial fishing vessel’s entire crew was lost in the incident. Emergency responders were alerted when the vessel’s emergency beacon (EPIRB) activated around 6:50 a.m. that morning.

Multiple U.S. Coast Guard units responded to the distress call, including an Air Station Cape Cod helicopter crew, a Gloucester small boat team, and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter THUNDER BAY. Rescuers discovered a debris field at the beacon’s location and retrieved one deceased individual from the water. The vessel’s life raft was found deployed but empty.

Published on: February 3, 2026

Seven Lost Following the Sinking of F/V Lily Jean

by Nigel Stacey

It is with great sadness that we report the U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for the F/V LILY JEAN after more than 24 hours of effort by air and sea turned up no survivors. One body was recovered from the water. Six crew members remain missing and are now presumed dead.

The distress began early Friday morning, when the U.S. Coast Guard received an emergency beacon activation signal from the F/V LILY JEAN, a 72-foot groundfish trawler based out of Gloucester. The vessel had gone down approximately 25 miles off the coast of Cape Ann, about 40 miles northeast of Boston. Repeated attempts to reach the boat by radio went unanswered.

The F/V LILY JEAN was captained by Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, a fifth-generation Gloucester fisherman. The crew included Paul Beal Sr. and his son Paul Beal Jr., John Paul Rousanidis, Freeman Short, and Sean Therrien. Also aboard was Jada Samitt, a 22-year-old NOAA fisheries observer from Virginia, assigned to collect data on the vessel’s catch.