On January 25, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order titled Strengthening ‘Buy American’ Provisions, Ensuring Future of America is Made in America by All of America’s Workers. The Executive Order echoes President Biden’s strong support of the Jones Act, the 100-year-old law that requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be transported on ships… Read More
The United States Coast Guard will begin a formal public hearing on February 22, 2021, to consider evidence related to the sinking of F/V SCANDIES ROSE. The 130-foot crab fishing vessel sank on Dec. 31, 2019, in Alaska. Seven crew members aboard and five were never found. The hearing will consider conditions impacting the vessel… Read More
Trident Seafoods’ continues to fight a worsening COVID-19 outbreak at its fish processing facility in Akutan, Alaska. The plant, which processes pollock, cod, and crab provided by a fleet of fishing vessels, now has 135 positive coronavirus cases. Evacuations by air and sea have been carried out for some employees. As of Tuesday, January 26,… Read More
At 1820 hours on Sunday, January 24, crab boat F/V SUNUP issued a distress call to the United States Coast Guard. According to the crew, the vessel developed propulsion issues, lost control, and allided with the south jetty entering Humboldt Bay, California. Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay deployed a motor lifeboat and a helicopter to… Read More
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Port of Los Angeles, which remains the U.S.’s busiest port, reported the fourth-best year on record in 2020. Specifically, the Port of Los Angeles handled 9.2 million 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs. As reported by the Port’s Executive Director, Gene Seroka, the Port’s container business was the “most erratic” seen… Read More
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… Read More
Captain Jay Rivera was a state-commissioned Branch Pilot for the Port Aransas Bar and Corpus Christi Bay. Marine pilots are required by law in most major seaports of the world for large commercial ships. The primary role of a marine pilot is to safely navigate large vessels through narrow coastal areas using their extensive local knowledge… Read More
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… Read More
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… Read More
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,… Read More
