The Coast Guard rescued nine crew members from a grounded commercial crab boat in Alaska’s Bering Sea after near gale-force winds and rough seas left the vessel stuck off Saint George Island, officials said.
The crew members were hoisted to a helicopter from the Arctic Sea, a 134-foot (41-meter) boat owned by the Coastal Villages Region Fund and fishing for tanner crab. The Coast Guard said there were no injuries to the crew members of the Arctic Sea.
The ship grounded on the northern shore of Saint George Island, the southernmost of the small Pribilofs islands group with fewer than 100 residents, predominantly Aleuts. The group is about 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) west of Anchorage.
A mayday call described the crew’s situation as the boat took on water. “I’m on the fog, I’m on the beach, we lost our steering,” someone from the Arctic Sea reported to the Coast Guard, according to audio provided by the Coast Guard. “We’re taking on water.”
The Coast Guard said the Arctic Sea came to a stop near a cliff face that rose hundreds of feet above the water. Pilots Lt. Cmdr. Conor Regan and Lt. Cmd. Josh Womboldt said in a joint statement to The Associated Press that strong downward drafts from the nearby cliff and rough seas made the conditions difficult for the rescue.
The helicopter pilots positioned an MH-60 Jayhawk about 50 feet (15 meters) above the Arctic Sea and hovered in rough conditions to conduct the hoists. Regan said in an email to AP that, “Due to how strong the winds were, we made sure to consider downdrafts coming off the cliffs and severe turbulence when hoisting the crewmembers from the Arctic Sea.” He also said the aircrew conducted the hoists of all nine crewmembers and the rescue swimmer in about 25 minutes.
Winds of nearly 60 mph (96 kph) and 10-foot (3-meter) seas contributed to the Arctic Sea taking on water and eventually going aground about 4 a.m. Monday. Video taken by a resident from atop the cliff showed waves slapping over the grounded ship.
The North Sea, another fishing vessel owned by Coastal Villages, was nearby but could not assist because of the weather and the shallow water where it came to rest. The North Sea stayed close, however, and kept a line of communications open to the Coast Guard as the service deployed a helicopter, an airplane, and rerouted its vessel Alex Haley.
The crew put on survival suits about 8 a.m. and activated an emergency radio beacon to indicate their location, said Eric Deakin, the CEO of Coastal Villages Region Fund, in an email to AP. The ship’s fire suppression system also activated, forcing the crew members from the enclosed bridge to the deck, where they waited for rescue.
The Coast Guard said the helicopter arrived about 11:30 a.m. Monday and performed the rescue operation. The rescued crew members were delivered to Saint Paul Island, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) to the northwest, because Saint George lacked emergency medical services support and the helicopter could not refuel there.
A private company has been contracted to oversee salvage operations of the Arctic Sea, the Coast Guard said.