Fishermen Claim Alaska Ranger Not Safe

In the wake of the sinking of the ALASKA RANGER in the Bering Sea off the Aleutian Islands, finger pointing from both sides has heated up. At least one crewmember has said that the boat was in such disarray that the crew called it the “Ranger Danger.” Additionally, crewmembers are saying there were numerous problems that were just ignored by the company. Forty-two survivors were rescued from the seas, but 5 died, including the captain.

Not so says Fishing Company of Alaska, the owner of the vessl. "We have worked with the Coast Guard on a voluntary safety program, which the Coast Guard has inspected the vessel."

The Alternative Compliance Safety Agreement Programs was set up by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1996, and the Ranger was participating in the agreement, but had not completed all of its requirements when it sank killing 5 crewmembers.

Fishermen understand the dangers of working the Bering Sea and, in fact, the dangers of commercial fishing overall. During the early 1990's, the Coast Guard mandated safety training, which included drills and knowledge of emergency equipment.

The Ranger was a converted flat-bottom used in the offshore oil support industry during the 1980’s and was turned into a fishing boat during the late 1980’s. While, this is not an uncommon practice, crewmembers said they could tell that the vessel had stability issues and ride was rougher than specifically built fishing boats.

The incident is still under investigation.

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