U.S Coast Guard, Sector Columbia River

Area of Responsibility: 420 nautical miles of Washington and Oregon coastline, 33 ports, 465 miles of navigable rivers throughout WA, OR, and ID, including the Columbia River, Salmon & Snake Rivers in the east (Idaho).

“Guardians of the Pacific Northwest”

Sector Columbia River Response Missions (search and rescue, law enforcement, environmental protection, and support for other units) are carried out from Warrenton, OR. Sector Columbia River Prevention Missions (marine safety, vessel inspection, aids to navigation support, and waterways management) are managed by Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Portland located in Portland, OR. On October 13, 1976, at the 62nd session of the International Labor Conference, the Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1976 (ILO Convention No. 147) was adopted, which is better known as ILO - 147. The primary purpose of ILO-147 was to improve the overall protections towards the health and safety of mariners calling upon various ports. The prescriptive standards (Articles) associated with ILO-147 cover minimum age, articles of agreements, crew accommodations, sickness, repatriations, and prevention of occupational accidents. The various Articles of Convention specify applicability, and establish duties and obligations of the contracting parties, which the United States (U.S.) ratified and entered into force in June 1989. Article 4 is critical as it outlines Port State Control (PSC) actions in the event a complaint or evidence is received that a ship does not conform to the standards of ILO-147, then we may take necessary measures to rectify conditions on board which are clearly hazardous to safety or health.

On April 28, 2022, one such complaint was received by a crewmember on board the M/V TAI HONESTY. They were able to contact the Sector Columbia River Command Center as it departed Los Angeles en-route to Longview, WA. The communications outlined an exhaustive timeline in which several members had expired contracts and had been onboard for over 14 months. Based upon the complaint, MSU Portland notified members of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to further investigate the issue and establish an interagency examination during the vessel’s normally scheduled PSC exam upon its arrival on May 06, 2022 in Longview, WA.

Immediately upon arrival it was quickly determined that the crew members were distressed, but eager to communicate their concerns of being on board the vessel for approximately 14 months. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that 12 of the 19 crewmembers including the Master, Chief Officer, and Chief Engineer had been onboard since March 13, 2021. The PSC examiners expanded their exam looking into work rest hours, and articles of agreement. Additionally, the team interviewed several of the crewmembers to determine if their current work schedules and duration of time on board presented a hazard to the port and Navigable Waterway.

Based upon the information collected during the PSC examination, a control action under the Ports and Waterways Safety Act (PWSA) (46 U.S.C. 70002) and ILO-147 was imposed on the vessel. In which crew fatigue, and the overall duration of time that critical crew members have been on board presented a clearly hazardous condition to the safety of the ship and the navigable waterway.

Fortunately, based upon the sound actions and recommendations of the PSC examiners and the amazing work provided by the ITF the 12 members began their journey home on May 14, 2022.