Coast Guard forces vessels to return to Petersburg

The U.S. Coast Guard terminated the voyages of five commercial fishing vessels for safety violations in Southeast Alaska last week.

Coast Guard Station Ketchikan boarding teams terminated the voyages of the vessels following at-sea commercial fishing vessel safety inspections – where a variety of safety violations were identified.

All five vessel crews were required to return to port in Petersburg and correct the deficiencies by procuring the proper equipment and having a qualified Coast Guard examiner clear the offense before getting underway again.

Common violations included lack of immersion suits, expired flares, lack of approved survival craft, lack of approved life rings and expired or non-approved fire extinguishers.

“Alaska is an unforgiving environment and it’s critical that fishermen are prepared for sea with the proper equipment to safeguard their lives,” said Lt. Ryan Erickson, chief of incident management, Coast Guard Sector Juneau. “Fishermen can contact their local Coast Guard sector office or marine safety detachment to schedule a free commercial fishing vessel safety exam. They will not incur fines for violations discovered at the dock and it can save them time and money later by preventing a voyage termination at sea.”