Archive for July 2014
Experienced Massachusetts Boater Involved in Fatal Accident
Safe boating is nothing to take lightly. Even the most experienced boaters can fall victim to tragic accidents. Last week, we shared the sad story of a Navy veteran who drowned during a weekend fishing trip. That man was an experienced swimmer and obviously knew his way around watercraft. Calm seas, however, can still be…
Read MoreTougher Penalties for Leaving Scene of Boat Accidents
In New Jersey, state law demands that boat operators involved in an accident stop and help any injured persons, assuming they can do so without risking harm to themselves. A new law just signed into existence raises the stakes for leaving the scene of an accident. If the accident results in a death, fleeing the…
Read MoreRemember These Safety Tips Next Time You Go Out on Your Boat
It’s the height of summer, and if you are one of millions of Americans who plans to take a boat out for some fun in the sun, it is important to keep a few safety tips in mind. Every passenger should wear a life jacket at all times—especially children. Last year, 84 percent of fatal boating…
Read MoreTugboat Accident Was Avoidable in Ghost Cruise Ship Sinking
Earlier this year, England was terrified by rumors of a ghost ship—filled with cannibal rats—drifting towards their peaceful shores. Luckily, the rumors turned out to be just rumors. Here is what really happened: Last January, the tugboat Charlene Hunt was assigned to tow the decommissioned cruise ship Lyubov Orlova to the Dominican Republic, where the cruise ship was set…
Read MoreInjured Fisherman Airlifted to Safety
BOSTON- Two aircrews from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod coordinated the hoist of an injured fisherman from a vessel about 115 miles east of Nantucket around 7p.m., Sunday. The fishing vessel Neves reported to Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England that a crewmember had suffered a Injured Fisherman Airlifted to Safetyback injury and needed…
Read MoreNorthern Belle Fishing Boat Sinks
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Coast Guard rescue crews from Air Station Kodiak have recovered four fishermen at 8:39 p.m. 50 miles south of Montegue Island after the 75-foot Seattle-based fishing vessel Northern Belle sank Tuesday around 5:30 p.m. Three of the four fishermen were reported to be suffering from hypothermia and a fourth was unresponsive but…
Read MoreLocal Victims Hope Laws At Sea Will Change
BOSTON — Team 5 Investigates has learned that cruise ship companies are not required to report crimes committed on board if their ships are 12 or more miles from shore. It’s a painful lesson that countless families have learned the hard way, including Kendall Carver, whose 40-year-old daughter, Merrian, disappeared while on a cruise in…
Read MoreMan Overboard in Gloucester MA
Boston.com reports that the Coast Guard has suspended its search for a fisherman who fell overboard yesterday morning about 46 miles southeast of Gloucester. The rescue mission consisted of three air searches and the use of three cutters and a 47-foot motorized boat, Meyer said. The 42-year-old single man was onboard the Miss Lindsey II…
Read MoreMassive Maritime Salvage Begins to Re-Float Costa Concordia
As the final phase of the Costa Concordia salvage operation gets underway, Italian locals, maritime engineers and government officials shared a moment of silence to commemorate the 32 people who died when the massive cruise ship ran aground back in 2012. When the Concordia was built in 2004, it was among the largest cruise ships in the…
Read MoreNew Illinois Laws Will Increase Boating Safety
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed three bills this month that should dramatically improve recreational boating safety. Under one bill, anyone born after 1998 will be required to complete a boating safety course before they can operate a boat with a 10 horsepower engine or greater. In a second bill, a person’s boat can be seized…
Read MoreUber Ferry Service Tested in East Boston
Uber, the popular smartphone-based taxi service, tried out a new ferry service in East Boston and the Boston Harbor last month. Going by the name of UberBOAT, the service ran for two weeks in June while the fledgling company measured demand before deciding how many resources to pour into a full time ferry service. The…
Read MoreDeaths and Injuries After Three-Boat Collision in Miami
A Fourth of July celebration ended tragically when three boats collided near a marina in Miami, killing four people and injuring as many as 12 others. Following a fireworks display, a crowd of boats was making its way back to shore, when one boat apparently crashed into another, then that second boat struck a third.…
Read MoreDrunk Boaters Inadvertently Cause Airport Security Scare
A fishing boat entered the restricted waterway around New York’s La Guardia Airport and ran into a light pole on one of the runway extensions. The Port Authority Police Department could see the stranded craft via surveillance cameras, but could not respond because their patrol boats had been docked for the night. The NYPD Harbor…
Read MoreNew York Boating Accident Claims Life of Navy Veteran
Police say two men were fishing in an anchored boat near the Stepping Stone Lighthouse off the Bronx shoreline, when they realized that a speeding powerboat was about to crash into them. Both men leapt into the Long Island sound to avoid being crushed. When the larger vessel passed without hitting them, one man climbed…
Read MoreThree Bodies Recovered after Chicago Boating Accident
Search crews have found the body of a third man who fell into Chicago’s Cal-Sag channel after their vessel collided with a barge. The channel is primarily used by barge traffic and as a conduit for wastewater, but is also used by pleasure crafts in the summer time. Last month, a 19-foot pleasure craft collided…
Read MoreTowboat Sinks on Mississippi River
The Coast Guard received a report that a towing vessel sank on the Mississippi River near the Phillips 66 Facility. The boat went down about 20 miles north of St. Louis, at a town called Alton IL. When The Alton Fire Department arrived, the craft had already settled down in the stern. Luckily the crew…
Read MoreMariners Must Renew Fire Training
The Coast Guard has decided that mariners need to prove continued proficiency in firefighting abilities. After 2016, maritime officers will be required to update their firefighting course work every five years. Sailors’ fire training is currently mandatory for officers who travel internationally, but they only have to take the full course once. After that, they…
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