Fire in the galley of a freezer longliner docked at Pier 91
in Seattle will delay for about a week the departure of the vessel to commence
longlining for Alaskan cod in the Bering Sea.
The fire was discovered in the galley area of the 167-foot Bristol
Leader early in the morning on Sept. 17. All crew aboard the vessel
were safely evacuated.
The Bristol Leader is part of the Alaska Leader Fisheries
LLC freezer longline fleet, which also includes the 184-foot F/V
Northern Leader, delivered earlier this year, the 150-foot Alaskan
Leader, and the 124-foot Bering Leader.
Alaskan Leader Fisheries, with facilities in Lynden,
Washington and Anchorage, Alaska, is owned by the Alaskan Leader Group and
Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. Each of these groups consist of
individuals from lifelong fishing families who currently own and operate
various fishing vessels in the salmon, longline and pot fisheries of Alaska. The
vessels are 50 percent owned by Alaskan Leader Group and 50 percent by BBEDC
Nick Delaney, managing director of Alaskan Leader Fisheries
in Seattle, said it would take about seven days to repair damages.
The fire affected only a small area around the galley stove
before it was contained. Besides the immediate area around the stove affected
by the fire, the only additional harm to the ship’s quarters was the water used
to extinguish the blaze itself and the residual damage from smoke in the galley
and crew quarters, Delaney said.
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