The Coast Guard received a call from a crew member aboard the fishing boat Dictator, homeported in Southwest Harbor, Maine, at 2:21 p.m., reporting a United Kingdom flagged 965-foot merchant vessel named Florida collided with their boat. The crew aboard the Dictator reported their rudder was damaged in the collision. The Dictator has eight crew members aboard and no injuries were reported.
The Coast Guard diverted a C-130 aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., and launched the Coast Guard Cutter Finback and the Coast Guard Cutter Dependable, homeported in Cape May, to the scene.
The crew aboard the Finback is planning to tow the Dictator and crew to the nearest port.
A crew member aboard Florida reports they are able transit on their own power to Savannah, Ga.
The collision is under investigation.
