Sector Anchorage News

The US Coast Guard is continuing to assess a fire reported on the 410-foot general cargo vessel Genius Star XI off Dutch Harbor, Alaska.The vessel is carrying lithium-ion batteries, and the fire started on Christmas Day in cargo hold No. 1. The crew released carbon dioxide into the hold and sealed it over concerns of an explosion.The Coast Guard then diverted the vessel to Dutch Harbor while an HC-130 airplane from Air Station Kodiak and Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley (WMEC-39) were dispatched to assist.The Coast Guard confirmed there are no injuries to the 19 crewmembers.

An injured mariner was medevaced from a vessel 220 miles south of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 17th District command center, in Juneau, received the initial request for the medevac on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. from the crew of the Liberia-registered FPMC 33 after a crewmember on board had reportedly broken his legs.The watchstanders requested the tanker meet a Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak aircrew, forward-deployed to Cold Bay, at a rendezvous point approximately 220 miles south of Dutch Harbor to safely embark the patient.

A U.S.-registered containership is reportedly leaking lubricant into the water near Anchorage, Alaska.On Thursday evening, personnel at the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage Command Center received a notification that the 645-foot Maunalei was leaking lubricant while transiting to the Port of Alaska. The vessel, owned by Matson, Inc., was said to be discharging a biodegradable, environmentally acceptable lubricant (EAL) at a rate of approximately six gallons per hour. Given the low toxicity of the lubricant…

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Saturday it was responding to a report of a discharge of hydraulic oil from Coast Guard Cutter SPAR in Womens Bay, Kodiak, Alaska.Coast Guard said it was monitoring the cleanup which has been contracted to Choctaw Defense Services (CDS). Personnel on scene deployed boom systems, absorbent pads, and a skimmer that is pumping to a vac truck.Watchstanders at the Sector Anchorage Command Center received notification from the National Response Center at 9:40 a.m., that the crew of the cutter SPAR reported a hydraulic oil discharge.

In recent years the U.S. Coast Guard has identified an increasing trend in the use of cellular phones by the maritime public when communicating distress. In 2018, leadership in the Office of Search and Rescue (SAR) at Coast Guard Headquarters asked the Research and Development Center (RDC) to investigate available technologies that could assist Coast Guard responders in adapting to this trend by leveraging the cellphone’s internal GPS. The RDC, located in New London, Conn., has been serving the Coast Guard for nearly 50 years through research…

Coast Guard crews have suspended the search for one person missing after an explosion and subsequent fire at Delong Dock in Whittier, Alaska, Monday.An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, forward deployed to Cordova, searched by air while crews aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Chandeleur and Coast Guard Auxiliary 336 also conducted a search for the missing person.Shortly after midnight, Coast Guard Sector Anchorage watchstanders heard the phrase "Whittier fire…

A fuel barge has become stuck in mud on the Naknek River in Naknek, Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday. The Coast Guard said it is responding to the Crowley BC-152 barge, which settled in the mud and began to show signs of structural stress while offloading petroleum product."This barge did not run aground, but became stuck in the mud during low tide yesterday as it was offloading product," said Lt. James Nunez, incident management division chief for Coast Guard Sector…

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A Coast Guard boatcrew and a good Samaritan rescued three adults and two teenagers from a 32-foot personal craft taking on water in the vicinity of Naked Island Sunday morning. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Anchorage received a mobile phone call at 6 a.m. from one of the five people reporting they had abandoned ship and swam to shore after their boat began to sink. Sector Anchorage issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to vessels in the area to render assistance. The 33-foot good Samaritan vessel Sweet Pea responded to the call and brought the five people safely aboard. There were no reports of injuries. A Coast Guard Station Valdez 45-foot Response Boat — Medium boatcrew transferred the five from the Sweet Pea and took them safely to Whittier.

A 599-foot Norway flagged chemical tanker Champion Ebony ran aground near Nunivak Island, Alaska on June 24. U.S. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage watchstanders received a report from the National Response Center that the vessel ran aground carrying approximately 14.2 million gallons of various fuel products. The captain of Champion Ebony reported that no pollution or injuries resulted from the incident. An Air Station Kodiak C-130 Hercules airplane crew conducted an over-flight of the tanker and reported no signs of pollution in the vicinity of the tanker. The Champion Ebony is a double-hulled vessel that had 24 crewmembers aboard at the time of the incident.

A mariner was medevaced by a U.S. Coast Guard Station Valdez, Alaska, boatcrew and a Valdez Fire Department emergency medical technician from the Valdez Narrows near Valdez, Tuesday morning.   The station’s 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew and a local EMT transferred the mariner to the Port of Valdez where Valdez Fire Department transferred him to Providence Valdez Medical Center for further care.   Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center received a report from the 45-foot fishing vessel Newfie Adventure that the man was experiencing symptoms of an allergic reaction. Watchstanders directed the launch of a station RB-M and contacted Valdez Fire Department for assistance.   Weather on scene was reported as calm winds and calm seas.

About half a million barrels of oil is extracted each day from Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay oilfields. One of its drilling sites, Endicott, is located on a spit of land connected by the gravel Prudhoe Bay road system and is normally accessible by truck – until recently, when the road was washed out. Faced with the dilemma of how to get workers, food and supplies to the work site, Hilcorp, a privately-held exploration and production companies in the U.S., turned to Crowley and its hovercraft, Arctic Hawk.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is monitoring repairs aboard the liquid natural gas (LNG) carrier Excel in Homer, Alaska. The vessel was received an order from Coast Guard Sector Anchorage to remain anchored in Kachemak Bay near Homer after the 908-foot, Belgium-flagged vessel experienced a loss of propulsion due to a failed engineering gasket while inbound to Cook Inlet. The Excel was examined by USCG inspectors from Marine Safety Detachment Homer, who conducted a Port State Control annual exam and verified the engineering gasket was replaced. While preparing to get underway, the vessel experienced an automated engineering casualty and canceled its voyage until a Bureau Veritas (BV) classification surveyor could arrive and verify the engineering casualty was fully resolved.

A U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew assisted the crew of the fishing vessel Alaskan Pride after they began taking on water in Izhut Bay near Kodiak Island, Alaska, Thursday. The Jayhawk crew lowered a dewatering pump to the crew of the fishing vessel, which allowed them to control the onboard flooding and proceed to port in Kodiak. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage watchstanders received a report from the crew aboard the 35-foot fishing vessel Alaskan Pride that their vessel had a possible puncture in its bow and requested Coast Guard assistance once their pumps could no longer keep up with the flooding. The Jayhawk crew responded and delivered the dewatering pump.

A Coast Guard Station Valdez 45-foot Response Boat - Medium crew assisted three recreational mariners aboard the disabled 24-foot Bayliner Herrisea in Blackstone Bay near Whittier, Alaska, Sunday. The rescue boatcrew rendezvoused with the Herrisea and safely towed the vessel to Whittier. Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center received notice from the mariners that their main engine had failed and they did not have enough fuel to return to Whittier. After the watchstanders issued a Marine Assistance Request Broadcast, a good Samaritan responded but could only assist with anchoring and communications due to worsening weather conditions. Station Valdez launched the RB-M crew to assist.

U.S. Coast Guard personnel and Canadian federal agencies, including the Canadian coast guard, Transport Canada and Environment Canada, are monitoring a 134-foot barge drifting in the Beaufort Sea after it broke free from its tow in Canadian waters during a severe storm Monday. U.S. Coast Guard authorities were notified on Tuesday that the barge was drifting westward in the Beaufort Sea toward U.S. waters, based on computer drift models. Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage response personnel are working with the owner to develop a response plan, and are standing by to assist. The self-propelled, unmanned barge, carrying 950 gallons of diesel fuel, broke free from the vessel towing it and began drifting west with the wind.

The Coast Guard rescued four hunters stranded in Blackstone Bay near Whittier Monday. A 45-foot response boat-medium crew from Station Valdez safely transported the men and towed their skiff to Whittier. Watchstanders at the Sector Anchorage command center recieved a report from the men that they were cold and stranded without fuel or enough supplies to make it back to their camp or Whittier. Command center personnel issued a marine assistance request broadcast with no results and dispatched the RB-M crew to the scene, maintaining cell phone contact with the hunters until the crew arrived. "This case serves as a good example of the need for hunters and boaters to be prepared for emergencies as we head into winter," said Ensign Jessica Stock, Sector Anchorage command center watchstander.

The U.S. Coast Guard launched several assets in response to a report of a fire on board a natural gas drill platform in Cook Inlet Thursday. The Coast Guard diverted a Coast Guard Hercules HC-130 crew and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew to conduct an overflight of the Baker Platform in Cook Inlet, near Nikiski. The Coast Guard also launched the Coast Guard Cutter Mustang and the diverted the Coast Guard Cutter SPAR to the location. A five-mile, no-fly safety zone at 5,000 feet and a two-mile safety zone have been established around the platform. All four people aboard the platform were safety evacuated. "Our goal is to mitigate any potential risk to the environment," said Cmdr. Shane Montoya, the Coast Guard Federal On-Scene Coordinator and acting Coast Guard Sector Anchorage commander.

The crews of the 36-foot good Samaritan fishing vessel Miss Jana and the 50-foot good Samaritan fishing vessel Equinox rescued three persons out of the water in the vicinity of Valdez Arm after their 36-foot landing craft Belltech 5 began taking on water and sank, Wednesday night. U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Anchorage command center watchstanders received a mayday call on VHF radio channel 16 from the crew of the Belltech 5 and issued an urgent marine information broadcast. The crew of the Miss Jana responded to the scene, rescuing the three men from the water. Shortly after embarking the men, the crew of the Miss Jana reported engine problems and transferred the men to the nearby fishing vessel Equinox. The Equinox took the Miss Jana in tow.

The Coast Guard has issued monetary penalties to three vessel operators in violation of federal regulations related to tank vessel response plan requirements. The vessels Pacific Galaxy, operated by Synergy Maritime PET, Tamar, operated by MTM Ship Management, and Yayoi Express, operated by MOL Tankship Management, have been issued a monetary violation for noncompliance with Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 155 Subpart D in Alaska. Vessel operators can face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation, per day. Tank vessels bound to or from a U.S. port and transiting through the Western Alaska Captain of the Port zone must have…

The vessels Pacific Galaxy, operated by Synergy Maritime PET; Tamar, operated by MTM Ship Management, and Yayoi Express, operated by MOL Tankship Management, have been issued a monetary violation for non-compliance with Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 155 Subpart D in Alaska. Vessel operators can face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation, per day. Tank vessels bound to or from a U.S. port and transiting through the Western Alaska Captain of the Port zone, remind the US Coast Guard, must have an approved geographic specific appendix in their vessel response plan for Western Alaska prior to transiting or operating within the COTP zone if carrying oil in bulk as cargo or oil cargo residue.

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Long Island towed a disabled cabin cruiser, in danger of running aground, to safety near Seward Thursday. The Long Island crew rendezvoused with the disabled vessel and its crew 300 yards from shore, took the vessel under tow and transported it to Seward where they transferred the tow to the Seward Fire Department. The crew of the 37-foot Mystery Lady notified Coast Guard Sector Anchorage watchstanders after they lost propulsion one mile off shore in Resurrection Bay. The watchstanders directed the launch of an Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and diverted the Long Island crew from a patrol in Prince William Sound.

Salvage crews began tow operations for the fishing vessel Lone Star near Dillingham, Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard reported today. The crew of the tug Double Eagle, with assistance from the crew of the support vessel Western Viking, will tow the Lone Star to Dutch Harbor where its owner will determine whether or not to scrap the vessel. “The removal of the Lone Star has been a long process, and we appreciate the work and support of the salvage crew and our agency partners throughout the response,” said Lt. Daniel Peters of the Sector Anchorage prevention department.

Coast Guard Sector Anchorage personnel along with federal, state, local, tribal partners and industry representatives conducted mutual aid drills in Anchorage and Deadhorse, Wednesday. During the drill, participants tested their ability to establish a Unified Command, implement the North Slope Mutual Aid Agreement and deploy equipment in response to a simulated oil spill at the remote Nikaitchuq Project at Spy Island near Deadhorse. “Drills like this are important because they…