It is with great sadness that we report the suspension of the search for the six missing crew members of the F/V DESTINATION. The vessel is believed to have sunk on Saturday, February 11th in the Bering Sea. Weather at the time was reported as 30-mph winds with five to…
Maritime Injury Law Blog
Search Continues for F/V DESTINATION and Six Crew in Bering Sea, Alaska
The search in the Bering Sea continues for the 98’ F/V DESTINATION and six crewmembers, whose emergency beacon broadcast a signal at 7:15 am, February 11 from two miles northwest of St. George, Alaska. The Coast Guard’s Hercules airplane crew arrived at 10:15 am to begin searching, and two helicopters…
Coast Guard Rescues 3 Fishermen at Mouth of Columbia River
The US Coast Guard rescued three commercial fishermen on Sunday morning after their fishing vessel COASTAL REIGN began taking on water. The crew reported that their vessel struck a submerged object as they navigated the mouth of the Columbia River. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia received the captain’s mayday…
Final El Faro Hearing Scheduled
The third and final EL FARO hearing has been scheduled for February 6, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation will focus on crew witnesses, TOTE company officials, Coast Guard officials as well as the contents of EL FARO’S voyage data recorder (VDR). The transcript of…
Washington Supreme Court to Decide If Injured Seamen May Recover Punitive Damages for a General Maritime “Vessel Unseaworthiness” Claim
Allan Tabingo was injured at sea due to defective machinery on his employer’s fishing vessel. A hydraulic lever controlling a fish hatch had been defective for two years. When the hatch operator tried to activate the hydraulic lever to stop the hatch from closing, the handle on the lever popped…
Fishing Company of Alaska Sells Vessels
The Fishing Company of Alaska (Renton, Washington) has sold its three remaining factory trawlers and catch quotas to Ocean Peace and O’Hara Corporation. Mike Faris, CEO of Seattle-based Ocean Peace, confirmed that his company will purchase two of the trawlers and catch quotas. O’Hara Corporation Vice President Frank O’Hara Jr.…
Good Samaritan Rescues 5 After Star King Sinking
WARRENTON, Ore. – Five commercial fishermen were rescued from the water after their fishing vessel STAR KING, a 55-foot stern trawler, capsized and sank near the mouth of the Columbia River early Saturday morning. Crewmembers were pulled from the water by good Samaritan fishing vessel SEA BALLAD, then transferred to…
F/V GUDNY and Coast Guard Cutter SPAR disabled off Kodiak, Alaska; 4 fishermen airlifted to safety
January 6 was a tough day for the F/V GUDNY and Coast Guard Cutter SPAR, both disabled 230 miles east-southeast of Kodiak, Alaska. Fortunately, the four fishermen off the 87’ LADY GUDNY were airlifted by a Coast Guard helicopter crew and safely flown to Kodiak. What happened? At 1:43…
Mariner Rescued Aboard Disabled Vessel in Bellingham Bay
On December 31st at 3:05 p.m. the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a distress call from a mariner aboard a 27-foot crab boat that was disabled and adrift in the shoals of Bellingham Bay. The mariner was safely removed from his vessel by the crew aboard a 45-foot Response…
Coast Guard Continues Investigation of Alaska Juris Sinking
Two weeks of Coast Guard hearings and testimonies this past month are slowly revealing the mystery behind the July 26th sinking of the Alaska JURIS that forced 46 crewmembers to abandon ship in the Bering Sea. Chief Engineer aboard the JURIS, Eddie Hernandez, was a key witness for Coast Guard…