Coast Guard

Published on: March 7, 2023

Tagish Tugboat Recovery Mission

The U.S. Coast Guard has successfully recovered a partially submerged tugboat that was located at the National Guard Dock in Gastineau Channel, Alaska.

In late December of 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Juneau was notified after an oil sheen was discovered. Working together, the city of Juneau, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation assembled a response team to deal with the vessel.

A barge-and-crane system was deployed by the salvage firm Melino’s Marine Services, that was contracted to dewater, defuel, and dismantle the TAGISH tugboat. Pieces of the demolished vessel were then placed on a barge and shipped out-of-state for disposal. The operation took about two weeks.

Published on: November 30, 2022

U.S. Coast Guard Clamps Down on ‘Paper Captain’ Operators

by Nigel Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River is clamping down on “paper captains” in the waters of Washington and Oregon thanks to Lt. Cmdr. Colin Fogarty, enforcement chief for the sector in Warrenton, Oregon. As an educated and licensed attorney, Fogarty, and his colleagues are highly skilled at proving Jones Act violations and enforcing the law.

Under the Jones Act section 12131 of title 46 of the United States Code, U.S. flagged vessels are required to be under the command of a U.S. citizen. In an effort to save money, some vessel owners hire foreign nationals to command U.S. flagged commercial fishing vessels, offering lower pay. A U.S. citizen, often a subordinate or a deckhand, is listed on paper as the captain. These “paper captains” are not qualified or properly trained to command a vessel. Not only are they breaking the law, but they are putting crewmembers at risk. Lack of proper training and human error cause a majority of maritime accidents.

“The employment of a foreign national as captain aboard a U.S.-flagged commercial fishing vessel is illegal,” said Lt. Cmdr. Colin Fogarty, the enforcement chief at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Oregon. “The practice of utilizing paper captains subverts U.S. laws and regulations designed to protect hard-working American fishermen and mariners.”

Published on: August 23, 2022

Response Continues After F/V Aleutian Isle Sinking

by Joseph Stacey

The coordinated response effort continues after the sinking of the F/V ALEUTIAN ISLE just west of San Juan Island, Washington, on Saturday, August 13^th. Groups participating in the response include the U.S. Coast Guard, the San Juan Office of Emergency Management, the Swinomish Tribe, and the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Overhead drone and helicopter footage has confirmed that the diesel fuel sheen appears to have dissipated. Beaches along the spill area have also been patrolled, and as of today no fuel spots or sheens have been located along the shore.

“I am proud of the interagency partnership and collaboration at all levels to respond to this pollution threat and minimize environmental impacts,” said Cmdr. Jon Ladyga, Federal on Scene Coordinator. “While optimistic about the on-water and shoreline assessments, we recognize that critical work remains”

Published on: August 17, 2022

F/V Aleutian Isle Sinks, Causing Pollution Incident

by Nigel Stacey

On Saturday, August 13^th watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound were notified that a fishing vessel located off the west coast of San Juan Island was taking on water and in need of emergency assistance. An Air Station Port Angeles MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, a Station Bellingham 45-foot Response Boat-Medium, and the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Swordfish were launched in response to the plea for help.

By the time the U.S. Coast Guard arrived on the scene, the 49-foot F/V ALEUTIAN ISLE had capsized and sank. According to eyewitnesses, the boat went down quickly in just a matter of minutes. In a statement issued by the U.S. Coast Guard, the five crewmembers aboard the fishing vessel were rescued by a good Samaritan.

After it was determined that all five crewmembers were accounted for, attention turned to the pollution impact and a survey was initiated. By 5 p.m. just a few hours after the sinking, a 1.75 mile fuel sheen was observed. It is estimated that the vessel was carrying about 2,600 gallons of diesel and oil at the time of the incident.

Published on: July 26, 2022

Crewmember Medevaced from F/V Phoenix

by Nigel Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a 28-year-old man from F/V PHOENIX after it was reported that the crewmember was suffering from severe abdominal pain.

Watchstanders at the 17th District command center received a call from the F/V PHOENIX on Saturday, July 23^rd, at about 11:24 p.m. The vessel was located approximately 160 nautical miles northwest of Cold Bay, Alaska at the time of the call.

The U.S. Coast Guard directed the launch of an Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from the forward operation location at Cold Bay, which arrived on the scene at approximately 6:13 a.m. on Sunday, July 24^th.

Published on: June 28, 2022

Search for Missing Washington Diver Suspended

by Joseph Stacey

It is with great sadness that we report a 33-year-old diver from Edmonds, Washington is missing and presumed deceased. The diver has been identified as Hans Korompis, a talented young chef known for combining the flavors of his native Singapore with those of Central America and the Pacific Northwest.

Mr. Korompis and his diving partner entered the waters of Puget Sound near Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington on the morning of June 17^th. Mukilteo police and fire departments were summoned by a “diver-in-distress” call at about 9:15am. Visibility and conditions at the time of the disappearance were reported as poor.

Units from the U.S. Coast Guard, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, Everett Police, Everett Fire, Mountlake Terrace Police, Marysville Police and Washington State Ferries began searching, using search and rescue boats, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, and several drones. The weeklong search proved unsuccessful and has been called off.

Published on: April 26, 2022

U.S. Coast Guard Releases Ice Accretion Study

by Joseph Stacey

The loss of the F/V SCANDIES ROSE on New Year’s Eve 2019 was the deadliest accidents since the 2017 capsizing of the F/V DESTINATION, in which all six crew members tragically died. The lawyers at Stacey and Jacobsen, PLLC understand firsthand how devastating these accidents are to those experiencing the loss of loved ones, as we represented the families and survivors in both heartbreaking cases.

These tragic sinkings and capsizing accidents are not altogether isolated. It is imperative for the safety of the industry that we better understand how ice accumulates on pot cages, netting, and the parts within each pot.

In December 2020, the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation requested that the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) study the icing factors that were involved in the loss of the F/V SCANDIES ROSE as well as the loss of the F/V DESTINATION. The U.S. Coast Guard recently released the results of this long awaited study regarding the ice accretion and ice accumulation on fishing gear. The study and experiments specifically focused on ice accretion and ice accumulation on the crab and cod pots used in the icy waters of the Alaskan Bering Sea.

Published on: March 29, 2022

One Missing, One Dead After F/V White Swan III Sinks

by Nigel Stacey

Watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Bend received a mayday call on Friday, March 25^th, 2022, just before midnight. The call came from Mike Morgan, master of the 32-foot F/V WHITE SWAN III. It was reported that the sinking vessel was found approximately 35 miles off the coast of Florence, Oregon, in the northern section of Heceta Bank.

A Station Siuslaw River Motor Lifeboat crew arrived first on the scene shortly after receiving the distress call to find a debris field. Additional teams were deployed to help in the search including:

Coast Guard Sector Columbia River MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew

Published on: March 8, 2022

Illegally Caught Halibut Seized in Alaska

by Nigel Stacey

Law enforcement crew members working on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter BAILEY BARCO found illegally caught fish after they boarded and searched a fishing vessel. The incident took place on February 19^th, while the vessel was located about 12 miles northeast of Kodiak, Alaska.

The 38-foot F/V COMPETITION was searched, and it was discovered that they were carrying 18 halibut and one ling cod during a closed season. Law enforcement personnel issued violations for possession of halibut during a closed fishery, and for operating beyond 3 nautical miles with an expired EPIRB hydrostatic release. The vessel was also operating without a current commercial fishing vessel safety examination. The catch was seized, then taken to Kodiak and turned over to NOAA Law Enforcement officers.

“Working with our partners in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, our enforcement efforts help the many legitimate Alaskan fishermen we encounter on a daily basis, ensuring nobody gains an unfair competitive advantage at the expense of biological sustainability,” said Lt. Brian Williams, Bailey Barco commanding officer.

Published on: September 14, 2021

U.S. Coast Guard Patrols U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in Alaska

by Nigel Stacey

On a recent patrol of the Bering Sea and Arctic regions, the U.S. Coast Guard reportedly established contact with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Among the patrol vessels were the BERTHOLF and the KIMBALL, both 418-foot legend-class security cutters. In addition to these vessels, the HEALY, a 420-foot medium icebreaker was on the scene.

It is reported that all exchanges between the U.S. Coast Guard and PLAN were in accordance with international standards established by the Western Pacific Naval Symposium’s Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea and Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.

The PLAN task force was reported to include a guided missile destroyer, an auxiliary vessel, and a general intelligence vessel. The Chinese vessels were reportedly conducting “military and surveillance operations” while deployed in the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean. They were sighted as close as 46 miles off the coast of Aleutian Island, but at no time did the PLAN task force enter U.S. territorial waters. Territorial waters are defined as 12 nautical miles from the baseline of a coastal state. Within this zone, the coastal state exercises full sovereignty over the air space above the sea and over the seabed and subsoil.