The Coast Guard is investigating a report of a commercial fishing vessel that crossed in front of the Motor Vessel Bosse, a large commercial freight ship transiting outbound from the Port of Long Beach on Feb. 4.
The Marine Exchange of Southern California and Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service, who jointly monitor vessel traffic in San Pedro Bay, were first alerted of the situation by the Motor Vessel Bosse, after the crew was unable to make radio contact with the approaching, unresponsive fishing vessel.
Motor Vessel Bosse was within 400 yards of the fishing vessel when it was forced to take evasive action and turned hard to starboard to prevent a collision. The Vessel Traffic Service then actively tracked the fishing vessel into port using radar and other sensors. The incident is currently under investigation by Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles - Long Beach investigating officers.
This near miss is one of several recent incidents where small vessels impeded the right-of-way of large commercial traffic in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and it nearly caused a collision with potentially catastrophic consequences.
The Coast Guard is taking a heightened posture towards small vessel navigation violations. This will include coordination with the Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor Safety Committee, education outreach efforts to small boat operators and increased enforcement presence.