In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pacific Northwest commercial fishing industry, together with state and local officials, have drafted rigorous protocols to protect the industry and the communities where they work. The first major coronavirus outbreak in the fishing industry occurred on a Seattle-based American Seafoods trawler, the American…
On March 7th, despite the escalation of the COVID-19 crisis, Holland America Line’s MS Zaandam proceeded with its voyage allowing 1,241 passengers and 586 crew members to board the cruise ship in Buenos Aires, taking a risk it would prove not to be able to handle. Only one day later,…
On May 31st, American Seafoods released a statement that crew members of the American Dynasty tested positive for COVID-19. In all, 94 crew members were confirmed positive for the virus. Soon after, it was reported that two more out of American Seafoods’ six total trawlers had crew members test positive…
On January 31, 2019 at approximately 10 p.m., the F/V SCANDIES ROSE sank near Sutwik Island, Alaska with seven crew members on board. According to a news release by the U.S. Coast Guard, two survivors were rescued and five crew members remain missing from the 130-foot crab fishing vessel. When…
ORDER ON CROSS MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT This matter comes before the Court on the Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. 16) and the Defendants’ Cross Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. 20). The Court has considered the pleadings filed in support of and in opposition to the motions and the…
On September 5, 2018, in Hoffas v. American Seafoods Company, King County Superior Court Cause No. 17-2-01150-9 SEA, a King County Superior Court judge held that American Seafoods was “. . . negligent for failing to provide [the injured seaman] with a safe place to work on March 2, 2016…
On January 23, Ninth Circuit decided Batterson v. Dutra Grp. which addressed the whether punitive damages are available in an unseaworthiness cause of action. Following last year’s unanimous Washington State Supreme Court decision in Tabingo v. Am. Triumph LLC, 188 Wn.2d 41 (March 9, 2017), a three-judge panel of the…
On Saturday, the Seattle-based crab boat F/V DESTINATION went missing in the Bering Sea, approximately two miles off of St. George Island, with six crewmembers aboard. St. George Island is located about 650 miles west of Kodiak Island, and has approximately 100 residents. The DESTINATION was on its way to…
It’s that time of year again. The holidays are over and you’re going back to work on a factory trawler up in Alaska for “A-Season.” Whether you’re a returning crew member or a greenhorn, it’s important that you have a clear understanding of your legal rights before going up to…
Maintenance is a daily stipend intended to cover the room-and-board expenses of a maritime worker injured in the service of a vessel, including seafood processing and deckhands on factory trawlers owned by American Seafoods Company. An injured worker is entitled to maintenance payments until the worker reaches maximum medical improvement…