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At least 4 Dead After Suspected Smuggling Vessel Overturns in San Diego, CA

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesperson Monica Munoz told CNN they received reports of a smuggling vessel which overturned on May 3, 2021. The boat capsized near the Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma at approximately 10:27 a.m. James Gartland, lifeguard chief for San Diego, told reporters it appeared the boat hit the reef, broke up… Read More

Vessel Sinks with Three Aboard Off Washington Coast

On Saturday, March 20, 2021, three men were rescued by a Coast Guard crew after their vessel sank five miles off the coast of La Push, Washington. The three men were found floating around debris without lifejackets late Saturday afternoon when Coast Guard officials rescued them. According to the Coast Guard, the large vessel was… Read More

Commercial Diver Fatality Results from Geoduck Harvesting in Washington State

Commercial Diver, Anthony Gockerell, was tragically killed on the job near Port Angeles, Washington on March 3, 2021.  Gockerell was performing geoduck clam harvesting at the Dungeness West geoduck tract.  He signaled that his surface-supplied umbilical cord, which provides air to the diver, was unable to clear.  The crew believed that the diver had become… Read More

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… Read More

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… Read More

Deadly F/V SCANDIES ROSE Sinking Lawsuit to Settle Out of Court

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… Read More

Washington-Based Fishing Vessel Owner Drowns in Sitka, Alaska

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… Read More

Seattle’s Pier 58 Collapses Leaving Two Workers Injured

Two workers were injured on Sunday afternoon when part of Seattle’s Pier 58 collapsed during ongoing construction. Seven people were removing a concrete section of the Pier when the collapse occurred.  Two men fell into the water during the collapse. The 50-year-old Pier was originally earmarked for renovation in 2022 as part of the Seattle… Read More

  • The Maritime Law Association of The United States
    The Maritime Law Association of the United States (MLA) was founded in 1899. Its formation was prompted by the organization, some three years earlier, of the International Maritime Committee.
  • Washington State Bar Association
    The Washington State Bar Association operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's nearly 40,000 lawyers and other legal professionals.
  • Oregon State Bar
    The Oregon State Bar is a government agency in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulates the legal profession.
  • Alaska Bar Association
    The Alaska Bar Association is a mandatory bar association responsible to the Alaska Supreme Court for the admission and discipline process of attorneys for the State of Alaska.