Sector Columbia River News

Bollinger Shipyards recently delivered the USCGC David Duren to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 182nd vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 56th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.“We’re incredibly proud to deliver the USCGC David Duren, the first of three Fast Response Cutters to be homeported in Astoria, Oregon,” said Bollinger President & CEO Ben Bordelon. “We’re confident that pound for pound…

A commercial fishing vessel is facing a potential $41,093 fine after allegedly violating automated identification system (AIS) regulations near the mouth of the Columbia River Dec. 3, 202, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The U.S. Coast Guard said it is pursuing a civil penalty against a commercial fishing vessel after its Sector Columbia River detected the vessel deactivate its AIS while underway near the mouth of the Columbia River in violation of 33 Code of Federal Regulations 164.46(d)(2).The captain declined to accept the Notice of Violation, issued for $5,000.

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…

Four people were rescued from a commercial fishing vessel that sank in Coos Bay, Ore. on Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The 40-foot Darean Rose capsized and sank shortly after leaving the fuel pier at the Charleston Marina with four people aboard who reported sustaining minor injuries.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend were notified at 2:54 p.m. that the vessel had run aground and capsized right after departing the pier.A Coast Guard Station Coos Bay 29-foot Response…

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 U.S. Coast Guard aircrew rescued three men after they became stranded by the rising tide at Indian Beach, Wednesday.   The helicopter crew from Sector Columbia River safely hoisted the men and transported them to Canon Beach Fire Department personnel waiting on shore. Sector watchstanders received a report from Seaside 911 dispatchers with a request for assistance at 12:20 p.m. after the three men, who were fishing in tide pools, became stranded due to high tide. There were no reported injuries at the time of the rescue.

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.

The Coast Guard and a good Samaritan commercial fishing crew rescued five people from the water after the fishing vessel Star King, a 55-foot stern trawler homeported in Astoria, capsized and sank near the entrance to the Columbia River early Saturday morning. All five fishermen were pulled from the water by the crew of the fishing vessel Sea Ballad and were transferred to the Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew, from Station Cape Disappointment, who transported them to the station in Ilwaco, Wash., where they did not need medical attention. Watchstanders at the Sector Columbia River command center received the first mayday calls from the Star King via VHF-FM radio channel 16 at 4:31 a.m. All five fishermen were accounted for by 5:10 a.m.

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.

The bulk carrier Nenita ran aground in lower Columbia river near Skamokawa in Washington, USA. Watch standers with Sector Columbia River in Warrenton were notified at 3:21 a.m. that the 738-foot Nenita, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier loaded with grain and less than 300,000 gallons of fuel, was headed outbound on the Columbia when it lost propulsion and ran hard aground. The vessel started taking on water, but the crew found the break in the forward peak of the vessel and stopped the flooding. The vessel was refloated, inspected and ordered by the Coast Guard to Kalama, Washington. There was no report of pollution or injuries stemming from the grounding. The pollution potential is less than 300,000 gallons of high-sulfur fuel oil, diesel fuel and gas oil.

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.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it has concluded its portion of the response in overseeing the salvage operations of the fishing vessel Privateer off the beach at Ocean Shores in Washington, Wednesday. The Coast Guard’s response concluded when personnel from the Incident Management Division at Sector Columbia River found no recoverable fuel aboard the Privateer during their inspection of the beached vessel. The Privateer washed ashore, Saturday, April 16, after the Coast Guard rescued the three-man crew the night before 1 mile outside of Grays Harbor after the 74-foot fishing vessel started sinking.

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.

A Coast Guard Air Station North Bend MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew rescued a surfer in distress 150 yards offshore near Cape Kiwanda, Saturday. The surfer was safely transferred to local emergency medical services at the Pacific City Airport for further medical care. Watchstanders at the Sector Columbia River Command Center received the report of the surfer in distress via Tillamook County 911 dispatch. The Dolphin crew, who were already airborne on a training mission from Newport, were diverted, quickly located the surfer and hoisted him to safety. “This case illustrates the importance of unit and interagency relationships,” said Chief Petty Officer Justin Urbano, Command Duty Officer at Sector Columbia River.

The Coast Guard rescued a man from the Willamette River after his sail boat capsized near the St. Johns Bridge, in Portland, Sunday night . The man was delivered to awaiting emergency medical services at the Cathedral Park boat launch were he was checked for injuries and released. The Coast Guard was relayed a call from Multnomah County dispatch at 7:45 p.m. reporting a man clinging to the hull of his capsized vessel and yelling for help. Sector Columbia River Command Center watchstanders directed the launch of a 29-foot Response Boat - Small II crew, from Station Portland. The rescue crew from Station Portland was on scene within 6 minutes and rescued the man from the water.

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.

The Coast Guard's two Captains of the Port have closed all maritime entrances in the Pacific Northwest, Friday, due to severe  sea conditions and large amounts of debris in the water. In Oregon, the ports of Chetco River in Brookings; Coos Bay; Umpqua River in Winchester Bay; Siuslaw River in Florence; Yaquina Bay in Newport; Depoe Bay; Tillamook Bay in Girabaldi; and the Columbia River are closed to all traffic. In Washington the port of Grays Harbor in Westport; and Quillayute River in LaPush are closed. Several storms carrying strong winds and heavy rainfall crossed the Pacific Northwest over the last week and have caused flooding and landslides in parts of Oregon and Washington.