NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service
Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Fisheries Sampling Branch

Vessel Takes on Water
with Observer Onboard
Observer Chelsey Cronan
December 12, 2007

NEFOP Observer, Chelsey Cronan

Coast Guard aids New Bedford fishing boat

By BRIAN BOYD
SouthCoastToday.com
December 12, 2007 11:04 AM

The Coast Guard responded this morning to a New Bedford fishing boat that was taking on water 35 miles east of Chatham.

The Tropico, an 81-foot commercial fishing boat with a crew of six, was able to remove the water with the Coast Guard’s help and was returning to New Bedford on its own power with a Coast Guard escort, said Petty Officer Luke Pinneo, a Coast Guard spokesman.

The boat’s crew radioed the Coast Guard at 5:40 a.m. Their pumps had failed after initial success in removing the water. They put on their survival suits and were prepared to activate the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) if needed, Petty Officer Pinneo said.

They never lost communication and did not turn on the beacon, he said.

The Coast Guard launched a helicopter from the Cape Cod Air Station and a 32-foot boat from Station Chatham. They were able to transfer two pumps onto the distressed boat and successfully remove the water.

The water had been contained to the aft-most, sealed space, Petty Officer Pinneo said.

NEFSC, Fisheries Sampling Branch

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