The vessel Donna Jean and her crew and passengers was turned back to Kake on Friday by the Coast Guard Cutter Naushon for safety concerns.

The 40-foot fishing vessel had five adults and three children aboard when the vessel was boarded for inspection in Keku Strait on Friday.

The Coast Guard inspection discovered that the vessel’s life raft was expired and that there were not enough survival suits aboard the vessel to accomodate the crew and passengers. It was also found that fire extinguishers aboard the vessel were inadequate.

“We perform at-sea safety inspections to ensure mariners are operating in compliance with required standard safety gear regulations, ” said Cmdr. Marc Burd, chief of the Sector Juneau response department. “These regulations help ensure the safety of those who work at sea, which is one of our primary missions, and we will take the necessary steps to ensure that safety, including sending a vessel back to port to fix any safety issues.”

The Donna Jean was escorted to the Kake Harbor and the vessel’s captain was ordered to fix all the discrepancies found aboard the vessel by the Coast Guard and coordinate with a commercial fishing vessel examiner before once again getting underway.

The Cutter Naushon is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Ketchikan.