MIAMI, FL— May 24 2011 – Two days after an Omega Protein Inc. pogy boat became involved in a collision with a Chiquita container ship in the Gulfport ship channel, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for the three crew members who went missing after the boating accident. According to information provided by the Sun Herald, Coast Guard personnel continue to search for the bodies of the three workers who disappeared in the May 18, 2011 Mississippi ship collision, though they did not seem to believe there were any more survivors.
Reports indicated the 163-foot Omega Protein Inc.-owned Sandy Point was en route to the company’s plant in Moss Point, Mississippi when it collided with the 660-foot Eurus London, which was transporting crates of Chiquita bananas to Texas at the time.
While details concerning the ship collision remained scarce, the Coast Guard’s navigation rules state, “A vessel engaged in fishing shall not impede the passage of any other vessel navigating within a narrow channel or fairway… A vessel shall not cross a narrow channel or fairway if such crossing impedes the passage of a vessel which can safely navigate only within such channel or fairway.”
Relatives identified two of the three boating accident victims who were reported missing after the ship wreck as Lindsey Tucker and Roderick Watkins. According to Lt. Matthew Mitchell, commander center chief of the Coast Guard’s Mobile, Alabama division, “Recovery is still ongoing. Our hearts and our prayers go out to the families of those three gentlemen.” A full probe into the fatal boating accident was expected to be underway.
Coast Guard statistics suggest there were a total of 4,730 recreational boating accidents, claiming the lives of 736 accident victims, during the 2009.
About the Miami cruise ship injury lawyers and boat accident attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.
With four decades of experience litigating the multifaceted personal injury and wrongful death claims of boat and cruise line passengers who are hurt or assaulted onboard, the knowledgeable Florida boating accident lawyers of Gerson & Schwartz are dedicated to protecting the rights of these individuals and fighting to provide them with the compensation they deserve. Working closely with the National Center for Victims of Crime, the Miami personal injury attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. strive to provide justice to individuals who suffer serious injuries in a wide variety of boating accidents.