USCG Terminates Hazardous Fishing Vessel Voyage

The USCG investigated a fishing vessel after finding numerous safety violations during a routine boarding 50 miles southeast of Cape May, N.J. Six crewmembers of Ruby S, a 72-ft. scalloping vessel homeported in Hampton Roads, Va., were fishing offshore when USCGC Mako from Cape May, boarded the vessel. During the boarding, Mako's boarding team members found numerous discrepancies, including water leaking through the shaft packing at 25 gpm, watertight integrity problems on the main deck, rusted hatches in forward compartments and the engine room, compartment hatches cut out to accommodate air-conditioning units and faulty alarms and flares. Due to those discrepancies as well as safety precautions, Mako terminated Ruby S' fishing trip and escorted the vessel to Cape May for further investigation.