Maritime News & Law

Published on: October 14, 2026

Coast Guard Medevacs Ailing Crew Member From Cargo Ship Off Hawaii

On Wednesday, October 7th, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard medevaced an ailing crew member from the M/V OCEAN GLADIATOR, a 545-foot U.S. flagged cargo ship, which was located about 86 miles off the Big Island of Hawaii. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point hoisted a 55-year-old man at 8:35 a.m. and flew him to Hilo International Airport, where he was transferred to a higher level of medical care.

The call for help came a day earlier. At 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday, October 6, watchstanders at Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received a request from the ship’s crew, who reported that a crew member had been experiencing a medical condition aboard the vessel. At the time, the M/V OCEAN GLADIATOR was roughly 540 miles southeast of the Big Island, beyond helicopter range. After consulting with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. Watchstanders kept in contact with the crew to monitor the patient and planned the hoist for when the ship came within reach of the helicopter.

The M/V OCEAN GLADIATOR was on a long voyage from Baltimore to Manila, carrying two decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutters to the Philippine Coast Guard, along with a fuel barge, as deck cargo. Tracking data showed the vessel resumed its voyage after the medevac. The U.S. Coast Guard has not released details about the man’s condition, and we wish him a full recovery.

Published on: September 29, 2026

A New Book Revisits the Sinking of Scandies Rose

by Nigel Stacey

On New Year’s Eve 2019, the 130-foot F/V SCANDIES ROSE went down in heavy weather and freezing spray about 170 miles southwest of Kodiak. Five crew members were lost; Captain Gary Cobban Jr., his son David Cobban, Seth Rousseau-Gano, Arthur Ganacias, and Brock Rainey. Two men, Dean Gribble Jr. and Jon Lawler, were washed off the hull, found a life raft, and waited about five hours for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Nearly seven years later, Decker Watson has told the story at book length in The Sinking of the Scandies Rose. Watson, a longtime Deadliest Catch producer, knows this fleet well. The book follows the crew and their families, the vessel, the rescue, and the Marine Board of Investigation.

For anyone who has broken ice off a deck or waited on news of someone at sea, it will not be an easy read. However, it is an honest one.

Published on: September 15, 2026

Navita™ Has Officially Launched, What It Means for Fishermen Applying for Credentials

by Nigel Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard’s new digital credentialing platform, Navita™, has officially launched. The agency announced its initial release this month, confirming what we flagged back in August. The new electronic system is now replacing much of the paper process mariners have used for years to apply for and renew their Merchant Mariner Credentials.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Navita is meant to cut down on the errors and delays that come with manual paperwork by offering a guided application that flags missing information before it becomes an issue. The system also automates fee calculation, integrates with Pay.gov for payments, and allows mariners to submit course completion records and sea service documentation electronically. RDML Rob Compher, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, described the goal as “building a system around the mariner experience so that a strong, ready workforce can keep supply chains and national defense readiness intact”. Navita is part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s broader Digital Transformation Strategy.

For commercial fishermen working out of Seattle, Kodiak, and Dutch Harbor, this launch matters in a practical way. A valid Merchant Mariner Credential is required paperwork. Every commercial fishing vessel needs at least one person aboard holding one, and depending on the vessel and its operation, several crew members may need one as well. A missed renewal or a credential held up in processing can mean missing a season entirely.

Published on: September 1, 2026

Grounded Fishing Vessel at Point Reyes Highlights Hidden Risks Commercial Fishermen Face

by Nigel Stacey

On the morning of August 21, 2026, the F/V LAKE BAY, a 58-foot fishing vessel operating out of Smith River, California, ran aground on a sand bar at North Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. All four crew members aboard were transported to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Station Bodega Bay after the boat entered the surf zone.

A unified command made up of the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Park Service, with support from Marin County Fire, NOAA, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, moved quickly to secure the vessel and its fuel. The F/V LAKE BAY had a maximum capacity of 2,800 gallons of diesel, and crews ultimately removed roughly 1,400 gallons of diesel fuel along with 175 gallons of hydraulic and lubricating oil. No active fuel leaks or wildlife impacts have been reported at any point in the response. North Beach was temporarily closed to keep the public safe while crews worked.

The response has since shifted from emergency pollution control to salvage and recovery. Salvage crews spent days working to pull the vessel farther onto the beach, which was complicated by the vessel’s fiberglass hull and bow digging into the sand. According to the U.S. Coast Guard’s incident commander, once a vessel of this size runs aground, questions about its structural integrity and stability make towing it back out to sea too risky. The vessel’s catch, an estimated 30 to 50 tons of squid trapped in the hold, has added another variable to an already challenging recovery.

Published on: August 11, 2026

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

by Nigel Stacey

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.