The United States Coast Guard assisted five people on board a sinking 35-foot Berthum commercial fishing vessel 30 miles southeast of Port Aransas on Wednesday. A distress call came in at 4:18 p.m. that a vessel was taking on water and needed immediate assistance. The Coast Guard immediately dispatched a helicopter crew and 45-foot rescue boat to the scene. The helicopter crew arrived to find a Good Samaritan vessel assisting the crew bailing water overboard with buckets. The helicopter lowered a dewatering pump to the vessel, allowing it to remain afloat until the rescue boat arrived. Upon arriving at the scene, the Coast Guard rescue boat found a hole that was two inches in diameter in the floor of the engine room. The rescue crew patched up the vessel and escorted it back to port. No injuries were reported.
The maritime lawyers at Beard Stacey Trueb and Jacobsen represent injured mariners throughout the nation in claims involving the Jones Act and General Maritime Law. For any questions regarding maritime law or injuries sustained while working aboard a vessel, contact us at 206.282.3100 or visit our website at atsealawyer.com.
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