Marine Safety Alert

Check out the text from a Marine Saftey Alert that just came out from our DEP:

Washington, DC
EXPLOSIVES SAFETY GUIDE
RECOGNIZE, RETREAT, REPORT
Just days ago, a 145 foot commercial fishing vessel operating in the vicinity of Hudson Canyon,
located South of Long Island, New York dredged up 10 old (circa 1914) munitions canisters that
contained mustard gas. One of the canisters broke open while it was being brought onboard the
vessel and four crewmembers were exposed to the gas. They experienced chemical burns and
respiratory problems. As a result of the exposure the boat was required to be decontaminated and
therefore unable to fish for several days. Furthermore, its catch was seized.
Mustard Gas, also known as Sulfur Mustard, is a chemical weapon developed and used during World
War I. It was delivered in liquid or gas form and caused blistering of the skin, eye irritation possibly
leading to blindness, and severe lung injury if inhaled.
The incidental discovery of munitions at sea during fishing, scuba diving and other evolutions has
been an occasional problem for decades. Any such discoveries, handling of and or landing of any
unknown weaponry or components onboard vessels can have catastrophic results. To additionally
complicate the situation, these items can be well encrusted with marine growth and barely
recognizable. Thus, the discovery of any unknown / unidentifiable objects must be treated with
extreme care and caution.
The U.S. Army Technical Center for Explosive Safety provides a Maritime Industry 3Rs Explosives
Safety Guide at the following URL. http://aec.army.mil/usaec/cleanup/images/mmrp-maritime.pdf It
emphasizes Recognizing, Retreating and Reporting when munitions (unexploded ordnance) are
found and provides useful imagery to assist in identifying these objects.
In light of this recent event, the Coast Guard strongly recommends that
• any persons involved in commercial fishing industries and any similar activities, review and
update navigational charts to ensure “Explosives Dumping Areas” are well marked and
identified and that all vessel operators know to give these areas wide berth when towing gear,
• review 3R material from the URL above, and
• report any discovery immediately to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802 for
proper response. (Alternatively, the CG may be notified via channel 16.)
This safety alert is provided for informational purposes only and does not relieve any domestic or
international safety, operational or material requirement. Please visit http://fishsafe.info for additional
fishing safety information. Developed by the Office of Investigations and Analysis and Commercial
Fishing Vessel Division, U. S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, D.C.. Questions may be
addressed to the sender.
****
Office of Investigations and Analysis: http://marineinvestigations.us
To subscribe: kenneth.w.olsen@uscg.mil

 

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