USCG – Page 3 – Fishermens News

USCG Cutter Steadfast Returns to Astoria, Oregon

12Oct

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USCG Cutter Steadfast Returns to Astoria, Oregon

After 55 days on narcotics enforcement patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Steadfast returned to Astoria, Oregon on Oct. 3. The 210-foot medium endurance cutter traveled over 11,000 miles between Oregon and Central America, doing training, law enforcement, search and rescue and helicopter operations in international waters, the agency said. The crew was deployed with Maintenance Augmentation Team Seattle, Electronic Support Detachment Petaluma and the cutter Argus, which is expected to be commissioned soon, according to the Coast Guard. During its tour, the Steadfast pursued a high-speed, panga-style vessel suspected of smuggling contraband before handing off the case to a partner nation, USCG said. “This was a wildly productive deployment with noteworthy enhancements to cr...

Sunken Fishing Vessel No Longer Environmental Threat: USCG

28Sep

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Sunken Fishing Vessel No Longer Environmental Threat: USCG

A commercial fishing vessel that sank in mid-August near Sunset Point off Washington’s San Juan Island, was recovered, defueled and on a salvage barge as of Sept. 21, and no longer posed a significant threat to the environment, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Plans were to transit the Aleutian Isle to a mainland facility for further investigation into the cause of the sinking. The federal on-scene coordinator representative, U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Kira Moody, said that the unique environment of the San Juan Islands and location of the vessel made for a complicated and technical response. The 58-foot fishing vessel sank Aug. 13 near Sunset Point off San Juan Island with an estimated 2,500 gallons of diesel on board and 100 gallons of motor oil and other oils. It was recovered from o...

Sunken Fishing Vessel Raised Off San Juan Island

21Sep

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Sunken Fishing Vessel Raised Off San Juan Island

A commercial fishing vessel that sank near Washington’s San Juan Island on Aug. 13, with estimated 2,600 gallons of diesel and oil on board, was successfully lifted to the surface this past week, in a lengthy process that ended on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 17. The lifting of the Aleutian Isle began during that weekend afternoon and continued late into the night. The Coast Guard said after the vessel was brought to the surface that the crew began the complicated task of dewatering and removing fuel. The vessel was partially dewatered and approximately 775 gallons of oily-water liquids were removed, but crews were unable to safely access all spaces and completely dewater the vessel. The Aleutian Isle is now floating with assistance from the barge DB-24. The incident command...

3Aug

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USCG Enforcing Safety, Security Zones for Fleet Week

To safeguard the public during Seattle’s Parade of Ships, Fleet Week and Seafair festival from Aug. 1-7, the Coast Guard is enforcing multiple safety and security zones on Elliott Bay and Lake Washington. The USCG will work with state and local agencies to increase safety patrols on Lake Washington. In addition, crews will enforce a special local regulation for the hydroplane on Lake Washington from 8 a.m. Friday until midnight Sunday. The Seafair Air Show Performance Safety Zone Regulation, also on Lake Washington, is being enforced from 8 a.m. Friday until 4 p.m. Sunday. These zones are to be established in the vicinity of Stan Sayres Memorial Park. Also, the Coast Guard issued reminders to boaters that children 12 years of age and younger are required by state law to wea...

29Jun

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USCG Conducts Dockside Exams on 300-Plus Bristol Bay Fishing Boats

Coast Guard inspectors from Anchorage say that during a two-week deployment to Bristol Bay in mid-June, they completed 351 dockside exams and issued 276 safety decals for fishing vessels in communities throughout the region. Examiners said the exams focused on safety and addressed items such as flares, charts, navigational signals, fire extinguishers, emergency position indicating radio beacons and serviceability of immersion suits. Every vessel that passed the exam earned a decal, according to the USCG. From June 13 through June 24 they also removed 117 immersion suits from service because they were not serviceable. Most vessel owners replaced the unserviceable suits with new ones, the Coast Guard said. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer David Schaeffer, fishing vessel safety ex...

8Jun

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Newly Built USCG Cutter Heads for Ketchikan, Alaska Homeport

U.S. Coast Guard cutter Douglas Denman, the 24th Fast Response Cutter built by Bollinger Shipyards in Key West, Florida, will be homeported in Ketchikan, Alaska. The 154-foot-long cutter will have a crew of 24, according to the USCG. Coast Guard officials accepted the vessel in Key West in late May, at a ceremony attended by Denman’s son, Doug Jr., daughter Karen, and the elder Denman’s grandchildren and their families. The Coast Guard is in the midst of a Fast Response Cutter (FRC) acquisition program to replace an aging Island-class 110-foot patrol boats. The vessels feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance equipment and an over-the-horizon cutter boat. Douglas Denman is designed for multiple missions, including...

13Apr

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Polar Star Goes Into Dry Dock After 147-Day Antarctic Deployment

Polar Star, the nation’s only heavy icebreaker, returned from its 147-day mission is support of the U.S Antarctic Program, and other national interests in Antarctica and the Southern Hemisphere, going directly into dry dock at Vallejo, California, rather than its Seattle homeport. Work began on phase two of a five-year, $75 million Service Life Extension Program in early April. The Coast Guard is replacing antiquated technology to ensure the longevity of the operational heavy icebreaker while in drydock this year, supporting the Coast Guard’s enduring commitment to Antarctic operations. The 140-member Polar Star crew departed Seattle on Nov. 13, 2021 for the cutter’s 25th Operation Deep Freeze deployment and traveled 24,300 nautical miles to Antarctica and back. Coast Gua...

USCG Unloads $223M in Cocaine, Marijuana in San Diego

6Apr

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USCG Unloads $223M in Cocaine, Marijuana in San Diego

Combined efforts of U.S. Coast Guard crews and a Canadian military vessel resulted in the seizure in the eastern Pacific Ocean of 11,300 pounds of cocaine and over 4,000 pounds of marijuana worth over $223 million. The drugs were unloaded from the Coast Guard cutter Kimball in San Diego on March 31. The drugs were seized in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Central and South America, including contraband seized and recovered during eight interdictions of suspected drug smuggling vessels between late February and early March. “At-sea interdictions of pure cocaine are the most effective way to limit cartel’s destabilizing effects throughout the Western Hemisphere,” Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander Vice Admiral Michael McAllister commented. “Coast Guard...