As written previously, commercial fishing remains the most dangerous job in the United States. Alaska has a higher worker fatality rate than the rest of the U.S., partly because about 25% of commercial fishing related deaths in the U.S. occur in that state. According to a 2010 National Institute for…
After about ten years of investigation, studies, assessments, and meetings, the Akutan Airport Construction Project, awarded to Kiewit Infrastructure West Company, got underway on Akun Island in March of 2010 and is to be finished in the fall of 2012. There, Kiewit is building a 4,500 foot long paved runway,…
Injuries at sea are often caused by equipment that fails under normal use. Lines snap. Crane parts fail. Deck boards break. Ordinarily, when those items of equipment are produced or inspected immediately following an injury, then the case can be relatively straightforward. But, when there is a passage of time,…
The Congress and the President passed a new law recently, which gives the USCG the authority to replace aging ships and aircraft with modern craft, improve USCG stations and housing, train personnel, and strengthens maritime security. Specific to the commercial fishing industry, the Act provides the USCG more authority to…
Beard Stacey & Jacobsen, PLLC has established a landmark decision for an injured seaman before the Washington State Supreme Court. The ruling yesterday declares that there is no pre-established arbitrary cap on a seaman’s right to punitive damages for the wrongful withholding of maintenance and cure benefits. Accepting Dana Clausen’s…
It was the middle of the night when Columbia River Bar Capt. Debbie Dempsey fell overboard just west of the Columbia River Bar on March 5th. Capt. Dempsey had guided a grain ship over the treacherous bar and was climbing down a jacobs latter to return to the Pilot Boat…
Early Saturday morning an EPIRB signal set off a search for the Warrenton-based fishing vessel LADY CECILIA and its four member crew. Coast Guard helicopters located a debris field, oil slick, and life raft just north of the Columbia River, 17 miles west of the Washington Coast. An extensive search…
The fishing vessel CHEVELLE collided with the jetty near Newport, Oregon on Friday and is reportedly breaking up in heavy weather. One witness described crab pots shifting on the vessel after it took a hard roll while crossing the bar. The 70-foot crab vessel is owned by Chad Hall of…
A crewman was washed overboard and presumed drowned from the 42-foot GLACIER SPIRIT on Friday. The accident happened near Sand Point, Alaska. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were reported to be 25 mph winds with 12-foot seas. The Coast Guard unsuccessfully searched a forty square mile area…
The history of piracy is a long one, and piracy remains a threat in modern times. The potential for pirate attack may exist in any waters, but during the past decade it is Somali pirates along the east coast of Africa and in the Indian Ocean who receive the headlines.…