Coast Guard to Begin Hearings on Alaska Juris Sinking

SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard is holding a series of hearings in Seattle to determine what caused the flooding that sank a fishing vessel off Alaska's Aleutian Islands last year.

The Seattle Times reports the 230-foot Alaska Juris sank in July 2015 after a problem in the engine room led to flooding on board. All 46 crew members were rescued by good Samaritan ships.

The two weeks of hearings will begin Monday. More than three dozen people are expected to testify, including crew members, Coast Guard inspectors and Alaska Juris maintenance personnel.

Investigators are trying to identify factors that could have contributed to the ship's sinking. They plan to use the findings to improve safety for the fleet of boats that catch and process fish in in the North Pacific.