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…
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 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…
On Friday, December 6, 2016, at 9:38 p.m., the crew of the F/V Exito contacted the U.S. Coast Guard reporting that they were taking on water 14 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor. Five crew members were aboard when the vessel sank and a nearby vessel, the Afognak Strait, was able…
On November 9, the U.S. Coast Guard received a request for a medevac from F/V BLUE NORTH, a Seattle-based fishing company, when a 41-year-old crew member sustained a neck injury while working on the vessel. Neck and spinal injuries can be serious and can lead to permanent disabilities. Due to…
An employer is negligent for failing to provide its employees with sufficient space to safely conduct their work. For example, in Ribitizki v. Canmar Reading & Bates, 111 F.3d 658 (9th Cir. 1997), a seaman was assigned to work in a pit room on an oil drilling ship. The open…
A lawsuit filed in U.S District Court in Hawaii challenges the applicability of the Jones Act in the state. The lawsuit was filed by attorney and former Hawaii state lawmaker John Carroll and alleges that provisions of the Jones Act are in violation of the commerce clause by restricting shipping…
In order to qualify for coverage under the Jones Act and other general maritime law remedies, a seaman must be in the service of the vessel at the time of the injury or illness. Whether a seaman is in the service of the vessel, is a recurring issue in maritime…
An engine room fire was reported yesterday afternoon aboard the 334-foot fishing vessel ARCTIC STORM off the Washington Coast, about 30 miles west of Gray’s Harbor. The vessel’s crew reported the fire at approximately 3:30 p.m., notifying the Coast Guard that there was an uncontrollable engine room fire. At the…