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            A series of incidents in Alaska waters recently has prompted the Coast Guard to step up its campaign to get vessel skippers and owners to report when something goes wrong at sea.

--            (Casualties 1              13 sec              “Well, it’s important … of safety in the fleet.”)

            The Coast Guard uses a broader definition of the word casualty than we might be familiar with:

--            (Casualties 2              9 sec                “Casualty is a broad … or damage over a certain amount.”)

            Francis says the Coast Guard has had several delayed reports of marine casualties from a few different vessels lately, which has resulted in the push for skippers and owners to step forward:

--            (Casualties 3              31 sec              “For example we had … could have been much greater.”

            She says the Coast Guard wants to dispel the perception that just because a skipper reports a marine casualty that they’ll be hauled back to port:

--            (Casualties 4              30 sec              “Every case is evaluated … continuation of operations.”)

            Francis says there are fines that range as high as 25-thousand dollars associated with failure to report serious mechanical problems.

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