Coast Guard Cites Vessel Master for Safety Violations

A Coast Guard boarding team cited the master of a commercial fishing vessel with safety violations Tuesday off the coast of Atlantic City, resulting in the termination of the vessel's voyage and restriction to A law enforcement boarding team from the Coast Guard Cutter Ibis boarded the 70-foot commercial fishing vessel Lady Kimberly, fishing for summer flounder, about 63 miles east of Atlantic City. In the course of the boarding, the team found that the vessel lacked a general emergency alarm, a Coast Guard-approved flare and any sound-producing device. These are federally-mandated safety regulations that the Coast Guard routinely checks for when they conduct safety boardings. Additionally, the vessel's auto-inflatable liferaft was stowed in a manner that did not allow for it to float free if the vessel was to suddenly capsize or sink. These four safety violations were enough for the Coast Guard to terminate the crew's voyage and order the vessel to shore. The crew of the Ibis escorted the vessel toward Atlantic City where they were met by a Coast Guard Station Atlantic City boatcrew who completed the escort into the station, arriving at about 9 a.m. today. The master, Lindsey Tate, was issued a Captain-of-the-Port Order, which, under the authority of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act, restricts the vessel to shore until the discrepancies can be corrected and verified as such. Besides potential civil penalties for failing to comply with applicable safety regulations, the master or owner of the vessel may experience additional economic consequences since the vessel will not be allowed to return to commercial service until these violations are remedied. Additionally, once the vessel was safely moored at Station Atlantic City, one of the crewmembers, Brady Cox, was transferred to the custody of the New Jersey State Police due to an outstanding warrant in the state of Virginia. He will be extradited to Virginia for a failure to appear for an October court date. The vessel was then ordered to a nearby mooring and was escorted safely to the Red Fleet Pier in Atlantic City. The Coast Guard Cutter Ibis is an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Cape May, N.J.