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August 17, 2007

Coast Guard cuts fishing boat's trip for safety rules

The Coast Guard today ended a 38-foot boat's fishing trip from Block Island to Montauk, N.Y. -- Long Island's eastern tip -- because it said the vessel failed to meet safety regulations.

In a news release, the Coast Guard said crew from its cutter Chinook, from New London, Conn., boarded the Karen Sue at about 11 a.m. and found the life raft had expired and that the three-man fishing crew aboard had just two survival suits aboard.

Federal regulations require commercial fishing vessels to have enough suits for every crewman aboard, the Coast Guard said.

The Chinook escorted the boat and crew to Montauk, where they were told not to get underway until violations were corrected.

"Our main concern is preservation of life," Ted Harrington, the First District Coast Guard chief of vessel compliance oversight, said in the statement. "If we find a fishing crew that is dangerously out of regulation, we're going take action to make sure they have what they need to be safe."

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 2:50 PM | Permalink

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