Maritime News & Law

Published on: August 11, 2026

What Mariners Should Know About the Coast Guard’s New NAVITA Credentialing System

The U.S. Coast Guard is rolling out a new digital credentialing platform in September 2026 and if you make your living on a boat, it is worth learning about. The system is called NAVITA, and it is meant to replace the patchwork of paper forms, mailed documents, and status check phone calls that mariners have relied on for years to get and renew their Merchant Mariner Credentials and medical certificates.

The timing is not an accident. This year’s federal funding lapse forced the National Maritime Center to pause much of its work, and when it reopened in May, the agency was faced with a backlog of more than 19,000 applications, with processing times projected at eight to twelve months for some mariners. NAVITA is the U.S. Coast Guard’s answer to that backlog, along with the earlier ASAP portal that replaced the long-running HOMEPORT system after it was shut down last year.

For a lot of mariners, especially the ones fishing out of Seattle, Kodiak, and Dutch Harbor, a modernized system sounds like good news, and it may well be, eventually. Fewer lost documents and clearer status updates should be an improvement over the paper documents. But it is worth asking who this system is built for, and who it might leave behind.

Published on: August 11, 2026

What US and Norwegian Coast Guard Drills Mean for Alaskan Fleets

by Nigel Stacey

U.S. Coast Guard crew members from the Legend-class national security cutter USCGC Stone (WMSL 758) work alongside Norwegian coast guard crew members from HOPEN during joint training, off the Newport, Rhode Island coast, July 10, 2026. The training allows both crews to build familiarity, share operational expertise and improve coordinated response in Arctic conditions. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Laticia Sims)

The U.S. Coast Guard has completed a major Arctic interoperability exercise, and the coastlines involved help explain why the training matters so much to those of us on the water. Between July 8th and July 15th, 2026, crews aboard the Legend-class national security cutter USCGC STONE (WMSL 758) worked alongside the Norwegian Coast Guard Vessel HOPEN off the coast of New England and Newport, Rhode Island. The exercise, part of Operation Arctic Cohesion (OAC) 2026, focused on crew exchanges, joint underway training, and shared best practices for Arctic operations, and it was observed by partner nations Canada and Finland as part of the broader Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF).

It is worth noting that Norway, of all nations, is a natural training partner. Norway’s mainland coastline runs about 15,500 miles, but if you count every fjord, inlet, and offshore skerry, the total stretches past 62,000 miles, making it one of the most fragmented coastlines on Earth. A fjord is a long, narrow, glacially carved inlet, flanked by steep cliffs, where retreating ice sheets left behind a deep U-shaped valley that seawater later filled. That terrain, cold water, narrow passages, remote landings, is not so different from the coastline that Alaska’s own commercial fishing fleets navigate every season, where the state’s more than 34,000 miles of coastline (counting islands and inlets) presents many of the same search-and-rescue and vessel-safety challenges.

Published on: August 4, 2026

Seattle Father Lost in Fall from Fishing Vessel Mast in Akutan

by Nigel Stacey

A 36-year-old Seattle man was lost last week after falling from the mast of a commercial fishing vessel moored in Akutan, one of Alaska’s busiest pollock ports.

Vincent Frank Short fell from the mast of the F/V COLUMBIA, a 131-foot pollock catcher vessel, on the evening of July 30^th, 2026, according to Alaska State Troopers. He sustained significant injuries and died shortly afterward. At the time, the F/V COLUMBIA was moored at the Trident Seafoods dock in Akutan Harbor, offloading its catch, and Short was one of only four crew members aboard. The U.S. Coast Guard has taken over the investigation, which remains ongoing.

Short is survived by his wife, Adriana, and their three children, ages 12, seven, and five. Family members describe him as a devoted father and hardworking provider and have set up a fundraiser to help cover memorial costs and support for his wife and children as they adjust to life without him.

Published on: July 28, 2026

Seaplane Crash Near Sucia Island Shows What Good Rescue Coordination Looks Like

by Nigel Stacey

On Thursday evening July 23, 2026, a Kenmore Air floatplane carrying ten passengers and a pilot went down in Shallow Bay near Sucia Island in the San Juan Islands. The aircraft made an emergency landing on the water and later caught fire. Every single person on board survived, and that outcome is a tribute to all the people who responded.

The U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, the Canadian Coast Guard, San Juan County Sheriff’s boats, Washington State Park rangers, Airlift Northwest, and Bellingham Fire Department EMS all worked together to get eleven people off the water and to a higher level of care. However, before any official responders arrived, good Samaritans who were nearby pulled people from the wreckage, tied their boats together to make a stable platform, and started treating injuries with the first aid supplies they had on hand. That is the kind of immediate response and teamwork that is needed when it comes to saving lives on the water.

We write most often about commercial fishing crews and maritime worker safety, but this accident is a good reminder that the water off Washington and British Columbia can be remote, it is cold, and it takes time for official responders to arrive. Sucia Island is only reachable by boat or helicopter, and the agencies involved train for exactly this kind of coordinated response. If you have ever been on a boat that assisted in a rescue, or if your vessel has served as a stable platform for injured people the way these good Samaritan vessels did on Thursday, you understand that the swift actions by those in the area may very well have saved lives.

Published on: July 16, 2026

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Three After Cabin Cruiser Capsizes Near Alcatraz

by Nigel Stacey

It is with great sadness that we report on a gathering that turned tragic Tuesday, July 14th, 2026,when a 49-foot, three-deck cabin cruiser capsized and sank near Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay. The vessel, carrying 20 family members and friends who had gathered to scatter the ashes of a loved one, was struck by a wave, took on water, and rolled over before sinking. One person died after being pulled from the water, and 16 others were rescued. Three people remain missing after the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search Wednesday evening, July 15th, 2026, following an effort that covered more than 814 square miles.

Before emergency crews could arrive, two commercial fishermen who happened to be in the area became the first rescuers on the scene. The fishermen noticed something unusual on the water in the distance, but by the time they reached the vessel, it was half submerged, with passengers in the water and others trapped inside the cabin. The two men pulled many people to safety and worked to keep those in the water afloat and calm as they searched for others.

Their quick action is a powerful reminder of how often boaters and fishermen step in during the critical minutes before rescue crews can respond and how important it is to always be prepared.

Published on: July 7, 2026

Fishing Safety Research Funding Reinstated

by Nigel Stacey

For decades, federal safety research has helped reduce the risks crews face at sea. But recently, that work was threatened when it was announced that funding would be cut and layoffs were ordered. In April, we reported on these cuts. Now that funding has been reinstated, it is worth looking at why this research matters so much to crews working in the Bering Sea and beyond, as commercial fishing remains one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States.

Last spring, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent layoff notices to approximately 1,000 employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Among the programs affected was the Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies (CMSHS), the research division that supports fishing vessel safety training, gear design, and injury prevention. CMSHS specifically supports high-risk maritime fields, including commercial fishing, seafood processing, aquaculture, shipyards, marine terminals, marine transportation, and commercial diving. It serves as a centralized platform bringing together industry, labor, academia, and safety experts to tackle critical occupational hazards.

The Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA), along with the Fishing Communities Coalition and others in the industry, objected to these cuts. Their argument was that NIOSH funded research and training have helped bring commercial fishing fatalities down by more than 80 percent since the agency’s programs began. That reduction is significant in an industry where the fatality rate remains dozens of times higher than the average American workplace.

Published on: April 21, 2026

Alaska’s Seafood Industry Consolidation

by Nigel Stacey

This week it has been reported that Silver Bay Seafoods is trying to acquire Northline Seafoods, one of its competitors in Alaska’s salmon processing industry. It was also reported that Northline CEO and co-founder Ben Blakey resigned on April 15^th, 2026, during the acquisition process. For anyone working the Alaska salmon fishery, this is a news story worth following.

Silver Bay Seafoods has experience with acquisitions. The Sitka-based company, owned by a cooperative of roughly 600 fishermen, has rapidly expanded its footprint across Alaska’s seafood processing sector. In 2024, the company acquired Trident Seafoods’ Ketchikan and False Pass facilities. This expansion continued into March 2025, when Silver Bay purchased Cooke subsidiary Icicle Seafoods’ 50% stake in OBI Seafoods. The agreement, established in collaboration with BBEDC, brought eight significant processing facilities into their network. These plants are located in Petersburg, Seward, Kodiak, Larsen Bay, Egegik, Wood River, Cordova, and Naknek. Silver Bay also took over Peter Pan Seafoods’ Valdez operations and other key assets following Peter Pan’s high-profile bankruptcy.

Industry experts point out that if Northline is acquired, only three companies will dominate Alaska’s salmon processing industry. Such a level of consolidation has not been seen in recent years.

Published on: March 31, 2026

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

by Nigel Stacey

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: 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.