Suspect in Alaska Ranger's sinking: ballast tank's wear

A Coast Guard inspector last November found significant wear in a ballast tank in the stern area of the Alaska Ranger, but repairs were not scheduled to be made until after the winter fishing season, according to testimony Thursday in Seattle.

The vessel sank March 23 in the Bering Sea after it sprang a leak in the stern area.

Coast Guard investigators on Thursday sought to learn more about the scope and location of the worn metal in the ballast tank. Testimony indicated that it was in a portion of the tank near the outer hull of the ship.

"It would be a weak spot, and it is of interest to me," said Capt. Mike Rand, who is chairing a Marine Board of Investigation into the circumstances of the sinking that claimed the lives of five of the Alaska Ranger's 47 crew.

It remains unclear if the weak spot played any role in the vessel springing a big leak on a relatively mild day in the Bering Sea. During hearings in Alaska and now in Seattle, investigators also have been considering the heavy ice the vessel encountered.

The Alaska Ranger, operated by Seattle-based Fishing Company of Alaska, was a part of the head-and-gut fleet that catches and freezes yellowfin sole and other bottom-dwelling fish in the Bering Sea.

The vessel was voluntarily enrolled by the company in a new Coast Guard safety program. As part of the program, the vessel was hauled out of the water at a Japanese shipyard in November, where U.S. Coast Guard officials checked for trouble spots, with Coast Guard Lt. Prudencio Tubalado crawling through the narrow confines of the tank to check for wear.

In telephone testimony from Japan, Tubalado said he found some worn metal and cracks in the tank, which wrapped around the vessel's rudder room.

Martin Teachout, a Seattle-based Coast Guard inspector, said the tank was not an imminent safety risk; he praised Fishing Company of Alaska for a good-faith effort to improve the safety of its fleet.

In Japan, Teachout agreed with a request by company officials to consult a naval architect and make the repairs at a later date. The company later proposed to have the repairs completed by September.