Boat escorted to port for lack of firefighting gear

From the U.S. Coast Guard:

July 21, 2011

Coast Guard terminates voyage of fishing vessel near St. Paul

KODIAK — The Coast Guard cutter Rush terminated the voyage of the 32-foot St. Paul-based commercial fishing vessel Nina Matrona II for a safety violation during a boarding Wednesday three miles northeast of St. Paul Island.

A boarding team found the vessel master operating without any firefighting equipment. The Coast Guard requires commercial fishing vessels between 26 feet and 40 feet to have two fire extinguishers.

The Nina Matrona II, a longliner, was fishing for halibut at the time of the boarding.

The Rush escorted the boat to St. Paul Island after the boarding was completed.

The crew of the Rush also boarded four other vessels in the vicinity of St. Paul Island.

The 378-foot Rush is a high-endurance cutter based out of Honolulu. It was launched in New Orleans in 1968 and is named after Richard Rush, a former treasury secretary.