Coast Guard Sector Columbia River News

An injured mariner was medevaced from a tug 60-miles off Grays Harbor, Wash., last week.At approximately 2 p.m. on February 18, watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River were notified over VHF-FM channel 16 that a crew member aboard the Crowley pusher tug Commitment had sustained a laceration to the face and eye while working in the vessel's engine room and required medical attention.At 2:45 p.m., an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter rescue crew departed from Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Ore., to respond.The injured man was safely hoisted from the vessel at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday issued a warning to mariners and commercial fisherman about the dangers and legal consequences of switching off their Automated Identification Systems (AIS), citing concern over a growing number of vessels operating with the tracking equipment disabled.The Coast Guard said it has been alarmed in particular by the increase of commercial fishing and crabbing vessels disabling their AIS, purportedly in an attempt to keep their fishing spots secret…

A 608-foot bulk carrier that suffered an engine failure and ran aground in the Columbia River Thursday has been refloated without injury or pollution, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a report at 12:50 a.m. that the Marshall Islands-flagged Genco Auvergne had run soft aground due to a loss of main engine propulsion while transiting down the Washington side of the Columbia River, south of Skamokawa Vista Park.The vessel, which is said to be carrying grain and approximately 616…

A U.S. Coast Guard vessel capsized on Saturday with four crew members aboard near Pier 39 in Astoria, Ore.Four Coast Guardsmen were aboard the 26-foot Coast Guard Trailerable Aids to Navigation Boat conducting routine operations when the vessel reportedly encountered a series of heavy wakes that came over the bow, which resulted in an unrecoverable starboard list that capsized the vessel, the Coast Guard said.At 11:39 a.m., watchstanders at the 13th Coast Guard District command…

Tidewater Transportation and Terminals of Vancouver, Wash., announced today that the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance and the Coast Guard Sector Columbia River has issued a Certificate of Inspection (COI) to the towing vessel Crown Point for compliance under the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Subchapter M safety regulations governing the inspection, standards and safety management systems of towing vessels.This COI is the first issued to a west coast (PACAREA) tugboat/towboat operator.The Crown Point is the first of three custom-built river towboats built for Tidewater in 2015.

A 557-foot tanker Argent Cosmos lost use of a fuel pump and ran aground near Skamokawa, Wash. at 6:28 a.m. Thursday while heading outbound on the Columbia River following a port call in Longview, Wash. The Panamanian-flagged tanker is loaded with 1.63 million gallons of ethanol and 6.65 million gallons of monoethylene glycol. It also has 458,074 gallons of high-sulfur oil and 99,064 gallons of low-sulfur oil aboard. There have been no reports of pollution in the river, flooding aboard the vessel or injuries to crewmembers, according to the U.S.

A Coast Guard aircrew performed a medical evacuation of an injured crew member from a 618-foot cargo vessel over 170 miles offshore from the Columbia River, Saturday. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Sector Columbia River in Warrenton safely transported the 23-year-old man to the air station where he was transferred over to emergency medical personnel, who took him to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria. Watchstanders at Sector Columbia River received the assistance request via the agent for the vessel Global Saikai after one of the crew members reportedly fell while on a ladder and broke his right arm. The vessel is en route to Kashima, Japan, from Longview, Washington, with a load of logs.

The Coast Guard is monitoring the transit of a motor vessel that ran aground in the Columbia River near Skamokawa, Washington, but was refloated, inspected and given a captain of the port order to transit to Kalama, Saturday morning. There was no report of pollution or injuries stemming from the grounding of the Nenita, a 738-foot Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier fully laden with grain. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Columbia River were notified of the incident at 3:21 a.m. The vessel was headed outbound the Columbia River from Kalama, Washington when the vessel reportedly lost propulsion and ran hard aground and was taking on water. The vessel’s crew found, isolated and secured the flooding in the forward peak of the vessel.

U.S. Marine Inspectors from Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Portland conducted a field dry dock examination, Wednesday, to educate and train the towing vessel community on new regulatory standards that will come into force in the summer of 2018. Shaver Transportation Company suggested the field outreach event during a U.S. Coast Guard initiated information session the previous week. The information session held at MSU Portland was the second in a series of national outreach forums designed to educate towing vessel operators on the new regulations…

A Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor crew aboard a 29-foot Response Boat-Small II rescued a man who was swept out to sea while wading in the water near the Grays Harbor north jetty at Ocean Shores, Washington, Sunday. The man, in his early twenties, who drifted approximately 300 yards past the tip of the jetty, was rescued from the water by the small boat crew, treated for hypothermia, and taken back to Station Grays Harbor where he was met by local emergency medical services for further medical care. Watch standers at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received the call from personnel at Grays Harbor County 911 dispatch about the man in the water without a life jacket, who was reported as being swept away  from the jetty and calling for help.

A damage assessment revealed significant damage to the motor vessel Sparna, which ran aground Monday in the main shipping channel of the Columbia River near Cathlamet, Wash. The damage assessment showed multiple fractures were found, the largest being a 25-foot by 5-foot wide fracture with a visible boulder lodged inside. Damage to the Sparna was contained to two flooded compartments. The assessment was submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard by Ballard Marine Construction early Tuesday morning and was shared with both Washington and Oregon state responders.

The Coast Guard assisted representatives of the Washington and Oregon Departments of Fish and Wildlife patrol the waters of the Pacific Northwest during the pre-soak period of the commercial Dungeness Crab season, which opens Jan. 4, 2015. The Dungeness Crab Season begins Monday from the California/Oregon border north to Destruction Island, Washington including Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. The Northern Washington to U.S./Canada border Dungeness Crab season will begin at a date to be announced later, but no sooner than January 15. There are an estimated 225 Washington permitted vessels expected to participate in crabbing and an estimated 425 Oregon permitted vessels and there are 75 vessels that are permitted in both Oregon and Washington.

Coast Guard, National Response Center and Washington State Department of Ecology personnel responded to oil pollution from a sunken 67-foot commercial vessel at Westhaven Marina near Grays Harbor, Wash., Sunday. Responders from the Coast Guard Incident Management Division in Astoria will arrive on scene Monday morning and will be working with partner agencies to monitor the situation and oversee the cleanup. After receiving a report of a possible sinking vessel at Westhaven Marina at approximately 12:40 p.m., Coast Guard Sector Columbia River watchstanders launched a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor to assess the situation. The commercial fishing vessel Persistence was found submerged at the pier, and a rainbow sheen was observed on the water.

A Coast Guard Air Station Astoria aircrew assisted Clatsop County Sheriff Department personnel with the rescue of two hikers stranded by incoming tide near Hug Point, Monday. The two hikers, both 20-year-old females from Canby, were safely hoisted at 2:45 a.m. and brought to local emergency responders on scene. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Columbia River Command Center received the request for assistance from Clatsop County Sheriff Department personnel deputies after the two hikers became disoriented and trapped by incoming tide. Watchstanders directed the launch of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew which was able to safely rescue the women.

The U.S. Coast Guard detained the Ikan Sudip, a Panamanian-flagged 600-foot bulk carrier, after discovering significant environmental and safety violations during an inspection in Astoria. The violations included a failure to use engineering procedures required by U.S. and international law, a lack of crew familiarity with emergency rescue drills, deficient structural fire boundary doors, and inoperable lifesaving equipment, according to the Coast Guard. Vessel inspectors from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit (MSU) in Portland discovered the discrepancies during an inspection of the motor vessel, which was built in 2004. “The Ikan Sudip’s safety and environmental conditions posed an unacceptable threat to our waterways,” Capt.

The U.S. Coast Guard detained the 600-foot bulk carrier vessel Ikan Sudip, after discovering significant environmental and safety violations during an inspection in Astoria, Ore. Saturday. Vessel inspectors from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Portland discovered the discrepancies during an inspection of the Panamanian-flagged motor vessel, which was built in 2004. “The Ikan Sudip’s safety and environmental conditions posed an unacceptable threat to our waterways," said Capt. Dan Travers, Coast Guard Sector Columbia River Commanding Officer and captain of the port for Oregon and Southern Washington. While inbound to U.S. waters, Monday, the vessel experienced two separate fuel related propulsion losses within 24 hours, which completely disabled the vessel at sea.

The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring a vessel that lost propulsion and briefly grounded in the vicinity of Welch Island, Wednesday. The crew of the 738-foot bulk carrier Miyama is currently underway enroute to Kalama north berth, after having effected repairs to their propulsion system, with the tugs Deschutes and Sommer S escorting the vessel. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a report from Columbia River Pilots stating the vessel ran aground around 11:20 a.m. The watchstanders directed the launch of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, out of Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, to survey the vessel and surrounding area. No visible pollution, damage or injuries have been reported. An initial attempt to refloat the vessel was made during high tide at 1:30 p.m.

The Coast Guard is responding to the sinking of a derelict vessel at the Port of Astoria Thursday. A Coast Guard incident management team is currently on scene and working with Port of Astoria personnel to minimize the impact of pollution from the sunken Cap’n Oscar to the maritime environment. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a call from port personnel Thursday evening when they noticed the derelict vessel was sinking. Port personnel began taking steps to place boom around the vessel. Currently the vessel is submerged up to the pilothouse. The Cap’n Oscar is a 69-foot fishing vessel with an unknown amount of fuel aboard.

A Coast Guard Air Station Astoria MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued two stranded boaters near Willapa Bay, Wash., Saturday. The 67-year-old man and 57-year-old woman were safely transported to an airfield in Raymond, Wash., where they were met by local emergency medical services for evaluation. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Columbia River command center received the call for assistance via Pacific County Dispatch late Saturday night after the boaters reported their 12-foot aluminum skiff was aground on a mud flat. The two individuals became stuck in the mud after leaving their vessel to attempt to walk to shore prompting another 911 call. The command center watchstanders dispatched the Jayhawk crew to respond.

The Coast Guard hoisted a female hiker who became trapped along the Ecola State Park cliffs by the incoming tide south of Seaside, Oregon, Sunday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Oregon, received a report from local authorities of a stranded hiker, at approximately 3:55 p.m. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, Oregon, launched to the scene and safely hoisted the stranded hiker. Rescued was Rochell Blair, whose age and area of residence have not been identified. She was flown to Seaside Airport and transferred to fire rescue personnel. There were no reports of injuries.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said it responded to a 739-foot cargo ship aground in the Columbia River just north of the Astoria Northern Anchorage in Astoria, Tuesday. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River learned that the Panamanian-flagged motor vessel Mokpo Star ran aground after the crew attempted to adjust their position in the river using their anchors without proper authorization at approximately 4:30 p.m. Sector Columbia River personnel boarded the vessel along with a Columbia River Bar Pilot to investigate the cause of the grounding, potential pollution and how much fuel the vessel contained. The Coast Guard also ordered the vessel to hire a tug to be on immediate standby and to activate its required vessel response plan.

A U.S. Coast Guardreported that its boatcrew from Station Chetco River, in Brookings, Ore., rescued four people after a 62-foot fishing vessel allided with the Chetco River South Jetty, Monday evening. The crew of the fishing vessel Jo Marie contacted the Coast Guard via VHF-FM radio at 8:16 p.m. Crewmembers from Station Chetco River launched aboard a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat and watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend, Ore., directed the launch of an aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station North Bend. The MLB boatcrew was able to safely rescue all four people and transferred them to emergency medical services at Station Chetco River. There were no reports of major injuries.

Coast Guard Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Ore., received a call from personnel at the Tidewater Barge facility informing them that one of their loaded grain barges was missing from the Hayden Island staging area between Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash. Crewmembers of the Lori B, a passing tug, came upon the 42-foot wide and 252-foot long barge floating near the navigation channel and towed it to back to the staging area. Crews from the Lori B and another tug, Outlaw, inspected the other two staging areas and confirmed all other barges remained securely moored. The Tidewater Barge employee who made the initial report indicated that the mooring cable for the barge was not cut, but the ratchets used to hold it in place appeared to have been intentionally loosened.