President Biden Signs Act to Restart Alaska Cruises from Seattle, WA

President Joe Biden signed into law the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act early Monday. This act will allow foreign-flagged cruise ships to operate cruises to Alaska in 2021. Elective representatives of the state proposed the act in March after Canada announced its ports would be closed to cruise ships until February 2022. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski…

Written by Welcome on February 21, 2024

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COVID-19 Outbreak at a Trident Plant in Alaska to Cause Three Week Closure

Several workers at a Trident Seafoods’ facility in Akutan, Alaska tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.  Those infected were evacuated for treatment in Anchorage.  The facility typically employs between 700 and 1,400 people and is a seafood processing hub for pollock, crab, and cod from the Bering Sea.  It operates as a closed campus…

Written by Welcome on February 21, 2024

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Holland America and Princess Cruises Cancel Alaska Voyages Scheduled for Early 2021 Due to Pandemic

Signaling that the coronavirus pandemic will continue to impact Alaska’s tourist season, Holland America and Princess Cruises have announced that they will cancel several sailings in 2021. Carnival Corp. brands Princess Cruises and Holland America issued statements Wednesday that rules imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and uncertainty around travel restrictions prompted…

Written by Welcome on February 21, 2024

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Family of Four Rescued From Alaskan Island on Christmas Day

On Christmas Eve, a 50-year-old mother and her three children (ages 21, 17, and 13) were aboard a 15-foot vessel when it capsized off the west coast of Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska.  At 2300 hours, a friend reported to the United States Coast Guard that the family’s vessel was overdue to return.   Coast Guard…

Written by Welcome on February 21, 2024

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NTSB Releases Safer Seas Digest 2019

On December 10, 2020, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board issued a summary report detailing the most important maritime safety lessons learned from marine incidents during the year 2019.  The report is known as the Safer Seas Digest. The Safer Seas Digest 2019 includes lessons learned from 30 different incidents in 2019.  These included allisions,…

Written by Welcome on February 21, 2024

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New Fire Safety Requirements for Small Passenger Vessels Included in the National Defense Authorization Act (FY2021)

In the wake of the deadly fire aboard D/V CONCEPTION in September 2019, lawmakers have advanced a new fire safety bill for small passenger vessels, the Small Passenger Vessel Safety Act.  The legislation was proposed by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representatives Salud Carbajal and Julia Brownley.  It was rolled into the National Defense Authorization Act…

Written by Welcome on February 21, 2024

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Captain of D/V CONCEPTION Indicted for Criminal Seaman Manslaughter in 2020

D/V CONCEPTION caught fire and sank off the coast of California in 2019.  The incident killed 34 people.  On December 1, 2020, the captain of the Vessel was indicted on federal manslaughter charges under The Seaman’s Manslaughter Statute, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 1115. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, the captain…

Written by Welcome on February 21, 2024

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Tulalip Police Officer Missing After Capsizing Incident in Washington

According to the KIRO 7 News Staff, on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, two police officers were aboard a Tulalip Police Department Fisheries vessel assisting another boat when the police vessel capsized just before 9 p.m.  Both officers were sent into the water as a result.  One officer, wearing a life jacket, was rescued at 11:45…

Written by Welcome on February 21, 2024

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New York City to Take Delivery of First Ollis-Class Staten Island Ferry

M/V STAFF SGT. MICHAEL OLLIS is the first-in-class of three new ferry vessels being built for the Staten Island Ferry system in New York City.  After a series of delays, the vessel is going through its final checks before making her way up the east coast and entering service. The vessel is being built by…

Written by Welcome on February 21, 2024

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