Coast Guard Conducts Compliance Exam at  Port of Guam

Coast Guard Conducts Compliance Exam at Port of Guam

U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam conducted a Certificate of Compliance (COC) examination on the MSC Bellissima, a 1,036-foot cruise ship flagged out of Malta, at the Port of Guam on Jan. 3. “This examination underscores the U.S. Coast Guard’s role in maritime safety and its integral part in bolstering local commerce and tourism, which are lifelines of the island’s economy,” the Guard said in a statement. “This is our first cruise ship exam since 2018 and the largest since the Norwegian Joy in 2016,” Chief Warrant Officer Jennifer Thomas, an inspector with U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, said.…
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U.S. Coast Guard Alaska Responds to Multiple Fishing Vessel Medevacs

U.S. Coast Guard Alaska Responds to Multiple Fishing Vessel Medevacs

On Aug. 25, Coast Guard District 17 command center personnel received a medevac request from the fishing vessel Northern Eagle at 6:20 a.m. for a 26-year-old crewmember experiencing abdominal pain. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter air crew launched from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak and hoisted the crewmember at 8:15 p.m. about 23 miles northwest of St Paul Island. The man was then flown to St. Paul where he was transferred to commercial emergency medical services at 9 p.m. for further care in Anchorage.   Also on Aug. 25, Coast Guard District 17 command center personnel received a medevac request from…
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Coast Guard Cutter Healy Embarks on Arctic Ocean Mission

Coast Guard Cutter Healy Embarks on Arctic Ocean Mission

The Coast Guard cutter Healy and a team of researchers have embarked on a months-long mission to gain insight on how warmer water from the Atlantic Ocean is being introduced into the Arctic at the shelf water level, deep basin interior and upper ocean. The mission was announced by the U.S. Coast Guard on Aug. 26. According to the USCG, researchers from the National Science Foundation and International Arctic Research Center will service the Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System (NABOS), in hopes of developing an understanding of water circulation in the region and will sample the water column in…
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Coast Guard Medevacs Fisherman 93 Miles Off San Diego Coast

Coast Guard Medevacs Fisherman 93 Miles Off San Diego Coast

A Coast Guard helicopter aircrew medically evacuated a 50-year-old male from the sport fishing vessel Spirit of Adventure about 93 miles west of Point Loma, on Aug. 16.  Crew aboard the Spirit of Adventure contacted Coast Guard Sector San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center at about 1:40 p.m. requesting assistance for a passenger who was displaying symptoms of a heart attack. Watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Sector San Diego MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, including a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Special Tactics and Rescue (STAR) Team paramedic, to assist. Once on the scene, the helicopter crew recovered the patient and transported…
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Coast Guard Cutter Returns After 57-Day Arctic Ocean-Bering Sea Patrol

Coast Guard Cutter Returns After 57-Day Arctic Ocean-Bering Sea Patrol

The Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley returned to its homeport of Kodiak, Alaska on Labor Day following a 57-day patrol in the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea. The Alex Haley is a 282-foot Medium Endurance Cutter that performs search and rescue, fisheries law enforcement and vessel safety inspections across Alaska and has been homeported in Kodiak since 1999. Nicknamed the “Bulldog of the Bering,” the vessel supported multiple strategic-level objectives for the Seventeenth Coast Guard District and the U.S. Northern Command during its 57-day mission, including providing presence along the U.S. Maritime Boundary Line and supporting U.S. Navy assets during…
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Coast Guard Cutter Munro Visits Japan, South Korea

Coast Guard Cutter Munro Visits Japan, South Korea

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro visited Yokosuka, Japan and the Republic of Korea during international port visits conducted in July and August. In Japan, the Munro conducted training and engagements with the Japan Coast Guard; in Gwangyang, South Korea, the cutter conducted several days of engagements and exchanges with the Korea Coast Guard. The Munro arrived Aug. 6 while deployed in the Indo-Pacific and hosted several members of the Japan Coast Guard for professional exchanges, including showcasing the Munro’s small boat and aerial capabilities and search-and-rescue operations. The visit allowed members of both services to discuss their dual mission…
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Coast Guard Cutter Healy Gets New C.O., Departs for Arctic

Coast Guard Cutter Healy Gets New C.O., Departs for Arctic

Capt. Michele Schallip on June 29 returned for a second tour as commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy, one of two active icebreakers homeported in Seattle. Commissioned in 1999, the Healy is the newest, largest and most technologically advanced icebreaker in the Coast Guard’s fleet. Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant of the US. Coast Guard presided over the change of command ceremonies in Seattle in which Schallip relieved Capt. Kenneth Boda as commanding officer. Schallip previously served as the ship’s executive officer from 2018 to 2020. Boda service as the Healy’s commanding officer began in June 2021. Twice…
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Fishing Boat Operator Sentenced for Human Smuggling, Ramming Coast Guard Vessel

Fishing Boat Operator Sentenced for Human Smuggling, Ramming Coast Guard Vessel

A man who was piloting a panga boat has been sentenced to prison following a December incident where he intentionally rammed a Coast Guard vessel while smuggling nearly a dozen migrants in the San Diego area. Jesus Alcaraz-Valdez was sentenced in federal court on July 12 to 60 months in prison for bringing in nearly a dozen undocumented migrants for financial gain and ramming a Coast Guard vessel in an attempt to escape law enforcement. During the early morning hours of Dec.17, Alcaraz shuttled the undocumented migrants from Mexico across the maritime boundary line to the vicinity of the Hotel…
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Coast Guard Confiscates $158M in Narcotics in Eastern Pacific Ocean

Coast Guard Confiscates $158M in Narcotics in Eastern Pacific Ocean

Crew aboard the Coast Guard cutters Steadfast, Vigilant and Mohawk confiscated millions of dollars in illegal drugs during counter-narcotics patrols in the Eastern Pacific Ocean from May through July, the Guard announced this week. On July 17, the crew of the Steadfast offloaded over 11,600 pounds of cocaine and 5,500 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $158 million in San Diego. “Their unwavering commitment while interdicting drug smugglers at sea is not only commended, but their continued efforts are unmatched,” Coast Guard Eleventh District Commander Rear Adm. Andrew Sugimoto said. “The crew of the Steadfast worked incredibly hard, day and…
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Coast Guard Conducts Compliance and Port Security Operation in Guam

Coast Guard Conducts Compliance and Port Security Operation in Guam

On June 15, a U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam team conducted a port state control examination on the 472-foot Singapore-flagged commercial cargo vessel Kota Raja at the Port of Guam. Examiners found no significant deficiencies aboard, but Coast Guard officials said the examination “highlights the importance and impact of mariners taking the port security requirements seriously.” “The attention paid by examiners conducting multiple compliance inspections and exams on vessels in the area highlights the strategic value of Guam’s port to the people of Guam and the wider region,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. The port state control…
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