SIKU
Course/Position
Latest ports
Latest Waypoints
Latest news
Tug crew rescued distressed skiff
The crew of the "Siku" rescued six men adrift in the Bering Sea. Shortly before the incident, the men’s 21-foot, aluminum skiff ran out of gas in the Hooper Bay and was being quickly blown out of the bay and into building seas. Responding to a request by the Coast Guard, the crew of the "Siku", which was in the area holding for weather, located the skiff, which was drifting about a mile offshore of Hooper Bay despite having its anchor out. Captain Angus Isaac instructed the skiff crew to pull up their anchor and ready themselves for a line from the tug. The captain then maneuvered the tug so that the skiff was in the lee to protect it and its passengers from the building wind and seas. The crew threw a heaving line to the skiff and pulled it alongside the tug allowing the passengers to disembark and board the "Siku". The crew then attached a line to the skiff and towed the stricken boat back into the sheltered waters of Hooper Bay where it was re-filled with gasoline. The tug then towed the skiff close to shore and assisted the passengers with a safe re-boarding while the local search and rescue team welcomed them ashore. The Siku safely and successfully completed the rescue in approximately five hours before returning to its barge, which throughout the rescue waited out the gale in protected waters. Once the storm passed, the tug-barge combo continued its business along the Yukon River.
Siku saved distressed boaters
Five men aged from 16 to 28 were rescued on Oct 11, 2013, by the "Siku" which was alerted by the U.S. Coast Guard. They were recovered in open waters near Hooper Bay after their boat had drifted into the Bering Sea. The Bethel troopers post received a call at 11:04 p.m. about the drifting boat near Hooper Bay and contacted the Coast Guard. The men in the 21-foot boat, all from the village of Hooper Bay, had missed high tide and were unable to enter the bay by river, eventually running out of gas. The men were rescued from the aluminum boat with a homemade cabin about four hours after the troopers received the call. The Coast Guard launched a helicopter from Kodiak and contacted the "Siku" which found and towed the boat into Hooper Bay.
Upload News