The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Center for Disease Control, recently published studies on the fatality rates for the commercial fishing industry for the past decade. The reports confirmed that commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States from 2000 – 2010. As many…
The Center for Public Integrity, an investigative news organization based in Washinton, D.C. has published a report on fishing vessel safety issues. The following is excerpted: Commercial fishing is the deadliest vocation in the United States. Four years running, from 2007 to 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked commercial fishing as the most dangerous…
In the aftermath of the Costa Concordia disaster, lawsuits are being filed on behalf of passengers who survived the tragedy. According to an article in the Miami Herald, two New York law firms claim to be representing hundreds of passengers seeking compensation. The shipowner, Costa Cruises, has offered 11,000 euros (approximately $14,500) to settle claims…
The ARICA, a factory trawl fishing vessel at a dry dock on the east side of Lake Union, began taking on water one day last week. Crews members were pumping out water from the boat when they lost power and called the Seattle Fire Department around 5:15 a.m. Fire department crews arrived and began helping…
The tragic sinking of the Swanland cargo ship in the Irish Sea off Gwynedd, Wales, with the loss of six crew members, shares notable similarities with past cases of Alaskan fishing boat disasters. The Swanland, though a Russian-crewed vessel, was managed by a British operator, and the investigation is being conducted by the British Maritime…
On December 8, 2011, crews with the Coast Guard Cutter Sherman and an Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter delivered steering system technicians to the 650-foot cargo ship MORNING CEDAR at a location 17 miles from Bobrof Island in the Aleutian Islands. The cargo vessel suffered a steering casualty while in transit from Canada to…
The NTSB recently completed its investigation into the sinking of the Fishing Vessel Katmai on October 22, 2008. The National Transportation Safety Board released their report on the disaster, and it concluded that the boat had a number of stability problems that made it unable to withstand extreme storm conditions in the Bering Sea. As…
We often have occasion to praise the princely courage of our Coast Guardsmen, their valor in rescuing mariners in peril. British news sources now report an instance of an actual prince rendering courageous service of the same sort. RAF Search and Rescue and Prince William have been praised for rescue efforts following the November 27…
In 2009, the scallop trawler LADY MARY tragically sank off the coast of Cape May, N.J., resulting in the loss of six lives. A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation revealed that structural modifications had been made to the vessel without consulting a naval architect, leading to serious stability issues. The crew was unaware of…
Supreme Court Helps Injured Seamen — CSX v. McBride Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court preserved a legal rule which has for 50 years helped railway workers and Jones Act seamen recover fair compensation for their injuries. Despite a vigorous dissent by the Chief Justice, the majority in CSX Transportation, Inc. v. McBride held that if…
