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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The owners of F/V SCANDIES ROSE report that they have resolved lawsuits with two surviving crewmembers and the families of four mariners who died during the December 2019 incident. The crab fishing vessel was managed out of Washington State and sank near Sutwik Island, Alaska. The case reportedly settled out of court for more than…
On Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, Ronald Cameron, 65, of Bellingham, Washington tragically drowned near a fish processor in Sitka, Alaska. Mr. Cameron owned F/V ALLYSEN MORIAH, a 75-foot fishing boat operated out of Bellingham. He was attempting to tie off the vessel during windy conditions when he fell in the water and perished. This incident…
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Oct. 30, 2020, that it would soon lift a ban on cruises in U.S. waters. The agency detailed the requirements that cruise lines must meet in order to resume operations. The initial phase of restarting the cruise industry will require vessel operators to “demonstrate…
U.S. CDC to Lift Ban on Cruises in U.S. Waters, but Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line Extend Voluntary Suspension Through the End of the Year
