The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its “Safer Seas 2014: Lessons Learned from Marine Accident Investigations” report on April 1, 2015. 23 major marine accidents from many U.S. maritime regions are summarized and lessons are analyzed from each accident. Issues in the 43-page report focus on understanding vessel…
The cover photo of Coast Guard Safety Alerts 1996-2014 is chilling: A large ship is awash in ocean water and is about to sink. The report is a compilation of safety alerts on a myriad of maritime safety issues such as “Attention on Deck! Commercial Fishing Vessels,” “Unprepared Safety Equipment,”…
Sadly, stories are rolling in of boats foundering and sinking with crewmembers thrown into frigid winter waters. The Coast Guard and Good Samaritan vessels courageously assist as many survivors as possible, but the 1-10-1 Principle can help you survive until a boat or helicopter arrives. All of the following time…
The North Pacific Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association (NPFVOA) Vessel Safety Program is offering a seminar called Update on Ebola and the Maritime Industry on Friday, December 12, 9:00 am – 11:30 am. The seminar will benefit small boat owners responsible for crewing vessels and managing medical situations, purser/medics, safety professionals,…
Kevin Lam, 43, master of the fishing vessel LADY ANN MARGARET, pled guilty to eight charges of sleeping at the wheel for extended periods of time with no other person on watch, said the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii on October 24, 2014. The prosecution said that…
Commercial fishing is still the most dangerous job in the nation. Knowledge is power and potential survival, so every mariner can learn from reading the seventh edition of “Beating the Odds: A Guide to Commercial Fishing Safety, by Susan Clark Jensen and Jerry Dzugan of the Alaska Marine Safety Education…
Recently, the Coast Guard in Alaska terminated three fishing vessel voyages, one for not having emergency flares, and two for not having other necessary safety gear on board. All commercial fishing vessels are required by law to have safety gear and a crew trained in how to use it. Briefly,…
The maritime law offices of Beard Stacey and Jacobsen PLLC are located in Seattle at Fisherman’s Terminal. Out the window of their offices, the attorneys of Beard Stacey and Jacobsen watch the Alaska fishing fleet come and go. With 90 years of combined maritime law experience, the lawyers at Beard…
The U.S. Coast Guard is authorized to board vessels at sea in order to do vessel safety inspections, and if discrepancies are found, they are authorized to escort the vessel and crew back to port and deny future voyages until those discrepancies are resolved. An example of this is when…
Recently, during a Port State Control inspection of an oil tanker, the personal gas safety meters of one member of the Coast Guard and one of the tanker crew went off when the crew member opened the valve to a pressurized tank holding Grade E Sour Crude. Sour crude oil…