[Coast-Guard] Digest (01/12/2002 18:01) (#2002-2)
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(#2002-2) - Topics This Issue:
1) [17] Vessel operations suspension ordered for unsafe conditions
2) [17] Coast Guard Sea Marshals escort tanker into Cook Inlet
3) [7] Coast Guard helicopter crews assists Bahamian authorities
4) [9] Coast Guard finds missing ice fisherman deceased in Saginaw Bay
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Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 10:10:23 -0800
Subject: [17] Vessel operations suspension ordered for unsafe conditions
Coast Guard News Online at www.uscg.mil/d17
Jan. 10, 2002
By Chief Petty Officer Marshalena Delaney Ph: (907) 487-5700
mdel...@cgalaska.uscg.mil
After 4:30 p.m. call (907) 463-2000
Release: 004-02
Vessel operations suspension ordered for unsafe conditions
KODIAK, Alaska - The Coast Guard issued a suspension of operation order
against a vessel in King Cove for unsafe conditions yesterday afternoon.
The fishing vessel Lady Lee Dawn was readying to ferry cannery workers from
Cold Bay to King Cove yesterday as there were no flights available because
of poor weather conditions. A Coast Guard Marine Safety Office (MSO)
Anchorage inspector, in the area to conduct safety inspections on crab boats
before the season opener, stopped the Lady Lee Dawn from leaving the docks
when he counted 30 persons on board the boat.
The 58-foot vessel was in an inherently unsafe condition because it was
grossly overloaded to the point of having the freeing ports nearly awash.
The excessive number of additional person made egress and accessibility to
survival gear a great concern. Even though the skipper had enough survival
suits for all aboard, there were too many people for the vessel to operate
safely. The Lady Lee Dawn usually operates with a crew of three to four.
A Captain of the Port order was issued against the Lady Lee Dawn to cease
the ferrying operations. As long as the Lady Lee Dawn does not transport
persons other than the crew, the skipper can return to his normal business.
The Lady Lee Dawn unloaded the extra persons and departed King Cove
yesterday afternoon.
The Coast Guard is aware that transportation to and from King Cove and Cold
Bay is weather dependent and often delayed for several days. The MSO staff
is dedicated to working with the local cannery managers and fishing vessel
owners to develop a safe alternative to transporting workers.
-30-
www.uscg.mil/d17
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Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 12:59:44 -0800
Subject: [17] Coast Guard Sea Marshals escort tanker into Cook Inlet
Jan. 10, 2002
By Chief Petty Officer Marshalena Delaney Ph: (907) 487-5700
mdel...@cgalaska.uscg.mil
After 4:30 p.m. call (907) 463-2000
Release: 003-02
KODIAK, Alaska - Armed Coast Guard members escorted the Polar Eagle, a
liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, into Nikiski Wednesday as part of the
Coast Guard’s Sea Marshal program. The Coast Guard conducts planned and
random vessel security boardings in Alaska.
The Sea Marshal program in Alaska provides deterrence and assesses vessel
and terminal security. The presence of armed Coast Guard personnel augments
vessel security measures and helps the master and transit pilot maintain
control of the vessel, and offers an immediate response if a problem occurs.
The need to assess the security of large commercial vessels transiting
through U.S. ports became apparent following the terrorist attacks of Sept.
11. The Sea Marshals program accomplishes this while balancing the needs of
commerce and national security.
The Sea Marshals program is adapted to meet the unique requirements of
maritime traffic in Western Alaska. Commercial vessels must provide the
appropriate Marine Safety Office (MSO) a crew manifest and cargo manifest 96
hours prior to arriving in port. Based on this and other information the MSO
creates a risk analysis for that particular vessel.
Several programs are in place to provide added shore side and waterside
security for maritime traffic. The Sea Marshals are an additional security
measure to deter any possible terrorist activity involving a commercial vessel.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Cmdr. Mark Hamilton, acting Coast Guard Captain of the Port
for Western Alaska, and members of the Sea Marshal boarding team will be
available to speak with media members today at 11 a.m. at the Marine Safety
Office, 510 L St., Suite 100, Anchorage. Copies of the video and photos will
also be available at the MSO.
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Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 13:01:48 -0800
Subject: [7] Coast Guard helicopter crews assists Bahamian authorities
Coast Guard District 7 Public Affairs
Press Releases - January 2002
Media Feedback We value your opinion!
Release No. 01-03
January 07, 2002
Contact: Public Affairs Office
305-415-6683
A Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk crew assigned to Operation Bahamas and Turks and
Caicos helped the Bahamian Police round up a group of 81 Haitian migrants
who became stranded on Little Inagua, Bahamas after their boat ran aground.
The helicopter crew initially responded to a report of a vessel possibly
sinking Thursday. Once the helicopter crew arrived to Little Inagua the crew
reported to Bahamian officials that they observed approximately 73 Haitian
migrants gathered around several small fires and their grounded vessel.
Bahamian authorities requested further assistance from OPBAT Friday, to
transport injured migrants to medical facilities in Great Inagua. Another
OPBAT helicopter crew transported four migrants to Great Inagua, Turks and
Caicos for medical attention and another who went as a translator.
An OPBAT helicopter crew also helped apprehend Haitian migrants who tried to
evade Bahamian authorities. Bahamian authorities transported 53 of the
migrants to Great Inagua Sunday by boat and transported the remaining 28
migrants to Great Inagua today by boat.
OPBAT is a joint services operation with U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army
helicopter crews in Nassau, Bahamas; Georgetown, Bahamas; and Great Inagua,
Turks and Caicos. OPBAT units work in conjunction with Bahamian and Turks
and Caicos drug enforcement agencies.
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Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 13:04:12 -0800
Subject: [9] Coast Guard finds missing ice fisherman deceased in Saginaw Bay
Date: January 6, 2002
Fishermen strongly urged to stay off early thin, unstable ice
MICHIGAN -- The Coast Guard continued their search early this morning for
missing 38-year-old Carl Small of East Tawas, Mich., only to find him
deceased just 200 yards from shore in Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron near Tawas
Point.
Small, planning to ice fish alone, departed from Jerry’s Landing near Tawas
Point, Mich., yesterday at 5:30 a.m. and was due back at his home at dusk.
His sister reported him overdue to the Coast Guard yesterday evening after
Small failed to return home.
A four-person ice-rescue crew from Coast Guard Station Tawas responded to
the scene, found Small’s ice shanty, which was 9/10 of a mile off shore,
only to find the shanty empty. The ice-rescue crew continued to search for
Small using illuminating flares to search the area. A Coast Guard helicopter
from Air Station Detroit also assisted in the search. Coast Guard crews
worked until 2:30 a.m. today and resumed the search at 6 a.m.
At 8:14 a.m., the Coast Guard helicopter located abandoned fishing gear near
a refrozen hole in the ice. Small was found deceased beneath the hole in 15
feet of water.
The Coast Guard has continually warned winter outdoor enthusiasts of the
early thin and unstable ice. Ice in Saginaw Bay is reported to be three to
six inches thick with areas of thin ice and possible "churned up" ice from a
recent tug transiting the area. Throughout the Great Lakes, warmer
temperatures and snow accumulation have made ice unpredictable.
Ice is deceptive to the eye and potentially deadly from the weight of a
person or snowmobile. Often, beneath what appears to be solid ice hides
near-freezing water, which can inflict hypothermia in a matter of a few
minutes.
The Coast Guard offers the following advice to increase safety when out on
the ice:
· Never venture out onto the ice alone -- always use the "buddy" system
· Wear a lifejacket whenever you’re out on ice
· Wear bright colored clothing with a waterproof outer shell and thermal
layer(s) close to the body
· Scout the ice -- look for cracks in the ice and pay attention to the
weather, especially the wind and water currents as they may shift and create
"islands" of ice
· Make sure a friend or family member knows your exact location and expected
time of return
· Always carry a marine band radio -- and also take a cell phone as an extra
form of communication (seal them in a plastic "zip-style" bag)
· Carry a pair of ice picks or screwdrivers tied together with a few feet of
strong cord to "claw" your way out of the water and up onto the ice, then
roll away from the opening in the ice
For more information, contact the Ninth Coast Guard District Public Affairs
Office at (216) 902-6020.
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