The Coast Guard rescued 3 crewmen of the fishing vessel SEA BEAST off Washington State.  They continue to search for the master of the vessel. This 52 foot commercial vessel was built in 1974. While the SEA BEAST had been issued a Fishing Vessel Safety decal on March 12, 2015, this type of a safety examination attempts to ensure that the fishing vessel has the safety equipment on board to help the crew survive a casualty – such as immersion suits.

This is just the type of casualty that Congress was trying to prevent by enacting the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010.  Section 604(e) of that law required all new commercial vessels over 50 feet in length to be built and maintained to standards established by an approved classification society. This law, for the first time, established design and construction standards for commercial fishing vessels to prevent capsizings, floodings and sinkings in the most dangerous industry in the United States. Existing commercial fishing vessels over 50 feet in length, such as the SEA BEAST, must meet Alternate Compliance Standards beginning on January 1, 2020. Existing vessels could not meet class standards because, for example, classing begins with blueprint and plan review and approval before the vessel was built.

KOMO News Story

Here is a USCG Video of their search and response:

Coast Guard – SEA BEAST video

According to the Coast Guard, this is the basic information regarding the SEA BEAST:

Vessel Name: SEA BEAST VIN: 560484 Hull Number: Vessel Flag: UNITED STATES Vessel Call Sign: WAY5666 Build Year: 1974	Service: Commercial Fishing Vessel Length: 52.0 ft Breadth: 15.1 ft Depth: 8.1 ft Alternate VINs: CG131209560484, IMO Number:
Service Information:	Tonnage Information:
Service: In Service Out Of Service Date: N/A Last Removed From Service By: N/A	Deadweight: Gross Tonnage(GRT): 42 Net Tonnage(NRT): 34 Gross Tonnage(GT ITC): Cargo Authority: