Ferry crash: Pirate ship captain explains Coast Guard safety requirements
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Both the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Coast Guard are investigating to find out why two vessels collided Sunday, killing one person and injuring several others.
It will be up to the Coast Guard to make sure their rules were followed on the ferry since it's a commercial vessel.
Man dies, 10 hurt in Clearwater ferry crash
T.J. Couch is the senior captain of the 'Lost Pearl,' a commercial vessel in Tampa.
He brought 8 On Your Side onboard to give us a glimpse into what safety measures he's required to have by the Coast Guard.
Couch said he's required to have life jackets for every person onboard and firefighting equipment.
Should the vessel sink, he has to have what's called an 'emergency beacon.'
'It will auto deploy and immediately float away from the boat. It's tethered to the boat, and it transmits the location of the boat,' he explained.
Couch said the Coast Guard has strict regulations for not only what's on board, but who's manning the ship.
'In the case of the license that I hold, I had to have 720 days underway on the water,' Couch explained. '10 full days of classroom instruction, drug testing.'
He said the Coast Guard not only requires each of these safety measures but comes onboard his vessel every so often to make sure he's following their rules.
'There are annual inspections that take place where everything is verified and every other year, in case of passenger vessels, the vessel has to come out of the water and have its haul inspected by the Coast Guard,' Couch said.
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