What Crew Members Say About Alaska-Juris

Coast Guard investigators are delving into the possible reasons behind the sinking of the 'Alaska Juris,' focusing on a burst pipe and a malfunctioning bilge alarm system as contributing factors. Chief Engineer Eddie Hernandez provided crucial testimony at hearings, describing an engine room flooded with cold seawater, creating hazardous conditions for the crew. Water surged from a suspected leak, potentially resulting from a broken pipe on the starboard side. This incident has raised alarm bells concerning the operational integrity of the Fishing Company of Alaska, the vessel's owner, which collaborates with a Japanese fish buyer and operates three other factory trawlers in the challenging waters of the North Pacific. The investigative report concerning the 'Alaska Juris' is expected to take several months to complete. Testimonies from the hearings provided a gritty overview of the working conditions aboard the vessel, revealing that despite extensive maintenance investments amounting to millions, safety concerns persisted. One engineer reported feeling so unsafe after just one day in port that he opted to resign. With an insurance value of $4.3 million, the 'Alaska Juris' was significantly underinsured considering replacement costs. Although the Coast Guard initially considered the possibility of intentional scuttling as a theory, it is currently not a central focus of the investigation. Preliminary findings indicate the possibility that seawater intake piping failure led to the disastrous leak, which could stem from a burst pipe or malfunctioning filtering equipment. The situation was exacerbated by questions surrounding the functionality of the bilge alarms. Investigators are probing whether the alarms were intentionally disabled to avoid frequent false alerts which could threaten the crew’s safety. Additionally, the vessel's pumping system was reportedly inadequate. Hernandez recounted his hesitation in activating the bilge pumps due to their condition, raising concerns about their effectiveness in an emergency. An attempt to utilize another emergency pump shortly before the crew abandoned ship was poorly executed, further complicating efforts to save the vessel. During the hearings, officials from the Fishing Company of Alaska highlighted the extensive repairs undertaken on the 'Alaska Juris' over the years, including significant hull work to replace aging pipes. Captain Paul Jopling suggested that the ship had been on a path to improvement despite facing challenges, such as crew issues related to alcohol consumption aboard. However, Hernandez painted a contrasting picture, expressing serious concerns about the ship's maintenance and safety in a message sent just days before the incident, emphasizing the urgent need for repairs, including a critically decayed section of pipe crucial for seawater intake. The investigation will also scrutinize the influence of Japanese fishmasters, who, despite being prohibited by U.S. maritime law from assuming command, seemed to play a dominant role in the operations aboard the 'Alaska Juris.' This dynamic, combined with language barriers and separate living quarters for the Japanese crew, posed significant safety risks that were flagged during Coast Guard inspections. As the investigation unfolds, the role of the Japanese crew and the effectiveness of the Coast Guard's safety programs initiated in 2006 will also be reviewed, promising to shed more light on the tragic sinking of the 'Alaska Juris'.

The U.S. Coast Guard is scrutinizing the failure of a critical alarm system aboard the fishing vessel 'Alaska Juris', which did not activate as water inundated the engine room on July 26. During recent hearings in Seattle, Ben Eche, an electrician who previously worked on the vessel's alarm system, testified that when water started flooding, a series of bilge alarms should have emitted powerful warning signals to alert the crew. 'The siren can wake the dead. Anywhere on the vessel, you can hear the alarm,' he asserted. Despite this expectation, crew members reported that the alarm was silent, prompting further inquiries from Coast Guard officials regarding the system's functionality. Eche mentioned that he had conducted tests on the alarm while the 'Alaska Juris' was docked, and it had functioned correctly at that time. He speculated that the alarm might have been intentionally disabled by someone who wanted to avoid frequent disturbances from minor leaks in the bilge, though he did not provide a specific motive for this action. As water filled the engine room, it was not the installed alarms but rather word-of-mouth that ultimately served as the alert, enabling the crew to don survival suits and evacuate safely into life rafts. The Coast Guard is currently conducting a thorough investigation over two weeks of hearings that began on December 5, focusing on the circumstances that allowed seawater to enter the vessel so rapidly. On December 6, Ian Bagley, an Alaska-based welder, shared insights regarding maintenance on the aging 'Alaska Juris', which was originally constructed in the 1970s and had an intricate network of below-deck piping. Some of the old piping was identified as thin-walled sections imported from Japan. Bagley acknowledged that while certain pipes had been replaced, the vessel’s chief engineer had requested a major renovation of the entire piping system. Despite these concerns, he deemed the ship safe for maritime operations, describing it as ‘pretty average’ with the caveat that it is likely 'a bit dirtier' than other vessels, reflecting the common reality of many aging factory trawlers.

On December 5, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated a two-week series of hearings to investigate the tragic sinking of the 'Alaska Juris', which occurred off the coast of Alaska on July 26. The incident resulted in the emergency evacuation of all 46 crew members aboard the vessel. Despite the relatively calm conditions in the Bering Sea that day, the reason behind the fatal flooding remains undetermined, prompting a thorough investigation to take place in Seattle. The primary objective of the hearings is to identify the factors that led to the 'Alaska Juris' sinking, with the hope of enhancing safety protocols in the maritime industry to prevent similar occurrences in the future. More than thirty individuals, including crew members, Coast Guard inspectors, and shore-side maintenance personnel associated with the 'Alaska Juris,' are expected to testify during these proceedings. The hearings are set to take place at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle and will be accessible via livestream, allowing broader public engagement with this significant maritime investigation.