Articles Posted in Injury at Sea

A fisherman from the 88-foot fishing vessel KAYLA ROSE has been airlifted for medical treatment. The fisherman reportedly injured his arm and was slipping in and out of consciousness, and the crew of the vessel called the Coast Guard for emergency evacuation. The man was taken to Atlantic Regional Medical Center in New Jersey for treatment of his injuries. The circumstances of how the fisherman was injured are unknown at this time.

Saturday, a tank barge reportedly exploded at the LBC tank Terminals near Sunshine, Louisiana. Early investigation indicates the barge was loading benzene at the time of the accident. The Iberville Parish Fire department responded to the explosion and was able to bring the fire under control. Two workers were stated to have been injured in the explosion; the extent of injuries are unknown. The Coast Guard will be investigating the cause of the explosion. Water traffic remains open on the river.

The exact number of workers missing after an oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico remains uncertain. As many as 15 workers were missing after the oil rig exploded 52 miles off the Louisiana Coast. Hope remains that the missing crewmen may be in a life raft. A number of crewmen were critically injured and transported to Baton Rouge for treatment of burn injuries. The oil platform that remains leaning and burning is reportedly owned by Transocean and is being leased to BP.

Crewmen on many oil rigs and oil platforms are covered by Federal Maritime law. Investigation into this tragic accident will be extensive.

The Coast Guard has airlifted an injured fisherman from the fishing vessel Neves. The vessel was 115 miles east of Nantucket when it radioed needing medical help for an injured crewman. No details of the accident have been provided. The crewman was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital for emergency medical care.

A worker at Trident Seafoods’ fish processing plant in Akutan has been medically evacuated to Anchorage after suffering second and third degree burns to his face. The accident reportedly happened when a paint can exploded in an incinerator.

A fish processor cleaning machinery aboard the Alaska factory trawler Ocean Peace was seriously injured on Tuesday. Joemar Lontoc was airlifted from the vessel by a Coast Guard helicopter, and he has been transferred to Anchorage for emergency medical care. The accident happened 100 miles west of Adak Island.

Serious injury accidents involving fish processing equipment occur too frequently aboard Alaska Factory trawlers. Crewmen must be properly trained and supervised in safely operating such equipment. The Fishing Vessel Safety Act requires most fish processing equipment to be properly guarded to prevent hands and feet from getting into blades, augers, and shafts. Failure to properly guard fish processing equipment may render a vessel unseaworthy. Lock out tag out procedures should be followed by crewmen when the fish processing equipment is being cleaned and repaired. Crewmen injured as result of improperly guarded machinery, defective equipment, improper training, or negligence of a fellow crewman have claims under the Jones Act and the general maritime law.

A crewman working aboard a the fishing boat GOLDEN ALASKA has been airlifted from the vessel by the United States Coast Guard. The sixty year old crewman was complaining of severe abdominal pain and was taken to St. George Island with plans to transfer him to Anchorage for further evaluation and a treatment.

In cases of medical emergencies aboard ships at sea, the United States Coast Guard can be contacted for medical advice via ship to shore communications. There are also numerous private medical firms that are available to provide ship to shore medical advice for treatment of injured crewmen. While getting an injured or ill crewman to shore for treatment may cost time and money, delays in obtaining medical treatment may have severe consequences. In serious cases, a crewman may need to be airlifted from the vessel. Fishing vessels in Alaska operating long distances from the nearest medical facilities must be well prepared to handle medical emergencies and have plans for medical evacuation of crewmen needing medical treatment. Most vessels have sophisticated medical supplies aboard and large processors and catcher processors will have nurses or emergency medical technicians aboard to provide initial medical assessments of crewmen.

A crewman from the 792 foot containership CAP GILBERT has been reported as having fallen overboard and is missing 450 miles south of Adak Island, Alaska. The Liberian flagged CAP GILBERT was enroute from China to Mexico when the crewman fell into seas estimated at 20 feet. The vessel contacted the United States Coast Guard to assist in the search for the missing 26 year old crewman from Burma. The Coast Guard search has been suspended after searching nearly 900 square miles with no sign of the missing crewman.

On December 21, 2009, a 740 foot Indian flagged freighter, SURYAVIR, has lost power and is battling high winds and seas 540 miles southwest of Alaska’s Adak Island. The vessel has 28 crewmen on board and is currently handling 20-30 foot seas and 50 mile an hour winds. There are no current plans to abandon the ship which has been in continuos contact with the United States Coast Guard. The Maersk ALTAIR is in route to the disabled vessel to provide assistance if necessary, a commercial tug has also been dispatched and is scheduled to reach the vessel on Tuesday. The SURYVAIR was in route from China to the Columbia river and is reported to be carrying no cargo.

A 20 year old crab fisherman has been reported as lost overboard from the F/V VICIOUS FISHER 20 miles west of La Push, Washington. The crewman was wearing rain gear and no life jacket or flotation device. The Coast Guard is conducting a search for the missing fisherman. The VICIOUS FISHER is home ported in Bellingham, Washington.

This is the second crab fisherman lost overboard in Washington in three weeks. In the first week of December, a crewman was lost from the F/V BALLAD. The commercial crab fishery in Washington and Oregon remains the most deadly fishery on the west coast. Few safety regulations apply to uninspected commercial fishing vessels involved in the Washington and Oregon crab fisheries.

The families of crewmen lost in fishing accidents have rights under Federal Maritime laws including the Jones Act and the Death On the High Seas Act.