The 46-member crew of a fishing vessel that sank more than 600 miles off the coast of Alaska in the Bering Sea on Tuesday had to be rescued by boats in the area and taken to a nearby island, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
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Two ships brought 46 people to safety after they abandoned their sinking fishing boat and boarded life rafts off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
In May 2012, the crew of the Alaska Juris requested help from the Coast Guard after three crew members were exposed to ammonia after a leak when the ship was just north of Cold Bay, Alaska.
Schlosser says, the ships are expected to arrive at a port in Adak on Wednesday afternoon.
On Tuesday, July 26, 2016, the Alaska Juris was dead in the water more than 150 miles northwest of Adak.
The Coast Guard said earlier a flyover was planned Wednesday to see if the 220-foot (67-meter) vessel is still afloat and determine if any pollution has spilled.
Civilian spokesman Cory Cichoracki says the Coast Guard is asking mariners in the areas to share updates on the vessel. The cause of the incident is under investigation, but Coast Guard personnel indicated that a mechanical problem in the engine room is suspected.
Conditions at the time were calm seas and limited visibility because of fog.
Coast Guard officials praised the response by the good Samaritan vessels. One good Samaritan vessel, the Spar Canis fetched 28 crew-members in the rafts tied to the sinking vessel, and a second vessel, the Vienna Express picked up the other eighteen crew-members in the third raft. The Coast Guard initially said the other two vessels were taking the crew.
The Coast Guard sent the high endurance cutter Midgett and a Hercules HC-130 airplane to respond and assist, and dispatched two Air Station Kodiak Jayhawk helicopters to Adak.
Two ships heard the Coast Guard’s emergency call to help the sinking fishing boat in the Bering Sea on Tuesday night, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Lauren Steenson.
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is monitoring the case closely. The company did not immediately respond to Associated Press for further information.
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The Alaska Juris has been involved in several accidents over the years, starting with the fact that the ship is owned by the Fishing Company of Alaska of Renton, which also owned the Alaska Ranger.
