Coast Guard officials say they are investigating a March 15 fatal confined space incident aboard a freight barge moored 25 miles northwest of Ketchikan. Two crew members died, and two were reported in stable condition.
The Coast Guard identified the deceased as Ben Fowler and Sidney Mohorovich on the barge Waynehoe. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska command center in Juneau received a mayday call at 9:14 a.m. Sunday that the crew of the 92’x26’ tug Chukchi Sea had lost contact with the crew members as the barge was moored near Skowl Arm.
A 45’ Response Boat-Medium crew launched from Coast Guard Station Ketchikan, with members from the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department aboard, to respond to the incident.
While the Coast Guard was en route, the crew of the tug recovered one deceased crewmember and assisted two others out of the confined space.
“To ensure a safe and thorough response, the barge was towed to a pier in Ketchikan,” according to a Coast Guard statement. “In a coordinated, multi-agency effort, the body of the second deceased crewmember was recovered from the confined space on Tuesday.”
“Our deepest condolences are with the families and colleagues of the crewmembers affected by this tragic incident," said Capt. Stanley Fields, commander of Sector Southeast Alaska. " This is a heartbreaking reminder that confined spaces on vessels can contain extremely dangerous, invisible hazards. The Coast Guard is committed to a thorough investigation to understand what happened and prevent a tragedy like this from occurring again.”
