A MayDay call was received Tuesday by the United States Coast Guard from the fishing vessel "Arial.' The vessel reported that they were taking on water.

The “Arial” reported their position as 30 miles southwest of Ketchikan in Clarence Straits. The call was made on channel 16 of the vessel’s VHF radio. Upon receiving the MayDay call, watchstanders immediately issued an urgent marine information broadcast requesting assistance from vessels in the area.

The Coast Guard sent a Station Ketchikan 25-foot Response Boat-Small and crew to the location of the call. Two other vessels, the “Secure” and the “Tlingit Lady” responded to the scene as well. Once on scene, they assisted the 58-foot seiner with locating the leak, and helped repairing and pumping out the vessel.

While one of the good samaritan vessels took the “Arial” under tow and transported it to Gardner Bay, the Coast Guard crew conducted a post-search and rescue vessel boarding.

“The crew of the ‘Arial’ did a great job of notifying the Coast Guard quickly and accurately of the extent of the situation and their current geographical position which helped the Coast Guard execute search and rescue efforts,” said Lt. Ryan Erickson, chief incident management division, Coast Guard Sector Juneau. “The Coast Guard encourages all mariners to have a reliable means of communication, like a VHF radio, and enough life jackets aboard their vessel before heading out on the water.”