Fishing Vessel

A Cordova man died early Monday morning aboard the fishing vessel Northern Mariner, according to Alaska State Troopers. The Coast Guard notified troopers at about 6:45 a.m. of the death of crew member Sean M. Johnson, 34, between midnight and 5:30 a.m. The Coast Guard considers any fatality aboard a fishing vessel a serious marine incident, and is investigating Johnson's death. The Northern Mariner is en route to Cordova and is expected to arrive late Monday evening. State officials expect to take possession of Johnson's body, which has been requested for autopsy by the state medical examiner's office.

A skipper of a King Cove fishing boat was found dead in the water near Belkofski Friday around noon, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers identified 46-year-old Marvin H. Love as the skipper of the fishing vessel Taurus. A crew member of the vessel woke up around 5:50 a.m. and reported Love missing. The King Cove Police Department notified troopers of the missing skipper and the U.S. Coast Guard also responded. Around 11:54 a.m., the Amanda Dawn, a Good Samaritan vessel, reported finding a body about a mile from where the Taurus was moored near Belkofski.

by Channel 2 News staff Thursday, June 17, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Coast Guard rescued three Seward fishermen after their fishing vessel started taking on water early Thursday morning in the Valdez Narrows. The fishermen intentionally grounded the 58-foot Copacetic to prevent it from sinking. They reported about 1,000 gallons of diesel and 400 gallons of gasoline were aboard the grounded vessel. There was no visible pollution reported by the Coast Guard rescue crew.

The U.S. Coast Guard has seized an illegal fishing vessel, infested with rats, from an unknown country that was caught illegally drift netting in high seas 2,600 miles southwest of Kodiak. An official with Customs and Border Protection identified the fishing vessel as the "Bangun Perkasa. " Its country of origin is not clear. The Coast Guard cutter "Midgett," is escorting the boat to Dutch Harbor, but because of the rats the boat will be anchored a few miles away from the island.

by Channel 2 News staff Tuesday, April 20, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The captain of a Seattle-based fishing boat died Tuesday when the vessel sank about 50 miles south of Montague Island in the Gulf of Alaska, according to one of the three other crew members who were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard identified Seattle resident Robert Royer as the deceased captain once Royer's next of kin had been notified. Royer suffered a head trauma while exiting the boat, but it's not clear if he died from the injury or hypothermia, said Dr. Phil Hess at the medical center in Cordova.

by The Associated Press Tuesday, July 27, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska --- The Coast Guard says responders have placed containment boom around a sheen leaking from a grounded fishing vessel in Alaska's Prince William Sound. Petty Officer David Mosley says the 100-foot Cape Cross does not appear to be spilling fuel. He says the sheen is likely bilge water escaping from the engine room after the Seattle-based vessel went aground Monday with seven crew members on board.

Three fishermen have been rescued by the Coast Guard after their fishing vessel, the Ruffian, began taking on water near Latouche Island in Prince William Sound. The Coast Guard reached the vessel at 11:20 and transported the men safely to Whittier. According to the Coast Guard, there was no pollution attributed to the ship and a salvage operation is underway. An emergency signal was received from the 42-foot fishing vessel Ruffian at 12:44 a.m. A Kodiak-based Jayhawk rescue helicopter was sent to the scene at 1:45 a.m., but rough weather  kept the crew of the helicopter from locating the vessel.

by The Associated Press Tuesday, February 9, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A spokesman for The Discovery Channel says the captain of the "Deadliest Catch" fishing vessel Cornelia Marie has died. Capt. Phil Harris, 53, suffered what his family described as a massive stroke on Jan. 29 while the boat was in port at St. Paul Island, Alaska. He was flown to Anchorage for surgery. A Discovery spokesman says the Harris family contacted the network Tuesday evening with word of his death.

by The Associated Press Sunday, July 11, 2010 KODIAK, Alaska -- The Coast Guard says four men are safe after being rescued from a life raft used to escape their burning fishing vessel near Alaska's Sitkinak Island. A Coast Guard helicopter crew headed to the site in response to an automated emergency alert set off just before 8:30 a.m. Sunday from the 52-foot vessel Nakat. The Nakat was on fire when rescuers arrived at 10:20 a.m. at the site, five miles off of Sitkinak Island 80 miles southwest of Kodiak.

by The Associated Press Friday, July 30, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Coast Guard says all fuel has been removed from a grounded fishing vessel in Alaska's Prince William Sound. The Coast Guard say the Seattle-based Cape Cross had a capacity of 3,000 gallons, but was not full when it tipped on its side in Main Bay on Monday. Crews have removed 1,200 gallons of fuel from the 100-foot vessel. Another 600 gallons were recovered from the surrounding water by skimming and using absorbent and boom.

A skipper of a King Cove fishing boat was found dead in the water near Belkofski Friday around noon, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers identified 46-year-old Marvin H. Love as the skipper of the fishing vessel Taurus. A crew member of the vessel woke up around 5:50 a.m. and reported Love missing. The King Cove Police Department notified troopers of the missing skipper and the U.S. Coast Guard also responded. Around 11:54 a.m., the Amanda Dawn, a Good Samaritan vessel, reported finding a body about a mile from where the Taurus was moored near Belkofski.

A Homer man was severely burned at a local boat yard early Tuesday morning after Homer police say he threatened to commit suicide aboard a commercial fishing vessel doused with accelerants, negotiating with officers before the boat abruptly ignited. In a Tuesday statement, Homer police say they were informed shortly after 8 p.m. Monday that the 58-year-old man had boarded a vessel at the Northern Enterprises boat yard, later identified as the Slava II. Responding officers found the vessel coated with an unknown accelerant and negotiated with the man by phone for over four hours, while Homer Volunteer Fire Department members remained on standby.

A capsized fishing vessel's crew was rescued by good Samaritans near Sitka after it rolled while pulling in loaded salmon nets, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Coast Guard Sector Juneau was informed at about 7:45 a.m. that the 50-foot seiner Evening Star sank in about 300 feet of water in Slocum Arm, 40 miles northwest of Sitka. All five crewmen aboard were rescued in good condition by the fishing vessel Chickamene, which took them to Sitka. About 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel were still aboard the Evening Star when it sank.

Boaters rescued three men from the waters of Kachemak Bay after their skiff capsized Saturday afternoon, according to Alaska State Troopers. A Monday AST dispatch says Alaska Wildlife Troopers in Homer and NOAA Fisheries officers were conducting a joint enforcement operation at the Homer harbor when they received a report on the incident, about three miles southwest of the Homer Spit, from caller Bonnie Porter shortly before 3:30 p.m. Saturday....

A Cordova man died early Monday morning aboard the fishing vessel Northern Mariner, according to Alaska State Troopers. The Coast Guard notified troopers at about 6:45 a.m. of the death of crew member Sean M. Johnson, 34, between midnight and 5:30 a.m. The Coast Guard considers any fatality aboard a fishing vessel a serious marine incident, and is investigating Johnson's death. The Northern Mariner is en route to Cordova and is expected to arrive late Monday evening. State officials expect to take possession of Johnson's body, which has been requested for autopsy by the state medical examiner's office.

On the back lot of Kodiak College, there's an unexpected reunion between a former fisherman and the vessel he once used to make his living. “You know it's kind of funny, I'm back finishing what I started over 20 years ago,” said Brian Johnson, as he carefully examined the bow of an aging fishing boat housed inside a white plastic temporary building. Johnson thought he was done with the Thelma C, the salmon seiner he bought in 1991 and later sold, because like a lot of vessels her age she was just too much work.

TheU.S. Coast Guardhas been making a splash in Alaska lately ... only not so lately. The Coast Guard 17th District has been a regular presence all over the state, as would be expected in a state with so much water. The 17th District has been a regular presence in the media since last year, both in news and entertainment. The Coast Guard launched an unprecedented rescue this winter to clear the way for fuel to reach the iced-off city of Nome. The mission made national headlines, and bloggers tracked every move as the Coast Guard vessel Healy cleared a path through the ice through the Bering Sea so the Russian tanker Renda could deliver more than 1 million gallons of fuel.

A 150 foot Japanese fishing vessel, believed to be washed out to sea by an earthquake and tsunami last March, has appeared off the coast of British Columbia and is expected to drift north toward Alaska, according to NOAA. Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) learned more about the errant ship and the possibility of additional tsunami debris during a briefing in Seattle, Friday. Begich and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) are asking that President Obama direct emergency research funds at groups which would study incoming debris and forecast its path.

The state agency monitoring the grounding of the Kimberly, a fishing vessel near Kodiak, issued its final situation report on Tuesday. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said the vessel spilled approximately 3,040 gallons of diesel, 590 gallons of hydraulic oil, 70 gallons of lubricating oil, and 25 gallons of antifreeze. 4 crewmembers were forced to abandon ship after facing winds gusting 100 knots on Jan. 25, and were rescued by the Coast Guard the following morning near the head of Jute Bay on the west side of Shelikof Strait The DEC said the ship's tanks were breached by the severe weather, according to the vessel's owner Aloys Kopun.

The state is monitoring a potential spill situation near Kodiak after the grounding of the Kimberly, a fishing vessel, on Wednesday. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said weather is affecting crews efforts to deal with the Kimberly with a reported heavy freezing spray warning along with seas to 9 feet. 4 crewmembers were forced to abandon ship after facing winds gusting 100 knots near the head of Jute Bay on the west side of Shelikof Strait. According to ADEC, the responsible party is working with a marine surveyor to develop a plan for removal of the fluids and any other hazardous substances from the vessel once weather permits.