Maritime safety concerns grow on San Francisco Bay as paychecks stop during government shutdown

By Da Lin

Many essential workers at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security continue to work without pay, raising concerns not only about airport security but also about maritime safety on the San Francisco Bay.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the current lapse marks “the third time in nearly six months” that employees such as Transportation Security Administration agents have had to work without pay.

While much of the attention has focused on aviation safety, maritime experts said a similar issue is affecting vessel traffic service operators who monitor and direct boat traffic on the bay. These operators – who guide passenger ferries, tour boats, cargo ships and bar pilots – have been working long hours without paychecks.

“They’re working 12-hour shifts, and they’re not getting paid,” said Scott Humphrey, executive director of the Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region.

Humphrey also chairs the Harbor Safety Committee of the San Francisco Bay Region and spent 30 years working in vessel traffic service. He said he personally trained many of the 35 operators who work at the Coast Guard’s vessel traffic service center on Yerba Buena Island.

Operators at the center maintain constant radio communication with vessels across the bay, performing a role similar to air traffic controllers at airports. Humphrey said missing multiple paychecks can take a significant emotional and financial toll on workers.

“Going one payday without a paycheck, you’re probably stressed out,” he said. “Going two paydays without a paycheck means that you’re now having to spend a lot of your off-time and your on-time negotiating with the bank about whether or not they’re going to give you a credit card payment off, your car, or your mortgage payment. And it just adds a level of stress.”

While he said traveling on the water remains safe, Humphrey warned that financial strain could become a distraction in an already high-pressure job.

The Department of Homeland Security funding lapse began Feb. 13.

“I fear if this goes on much longer, we are going to have an accident, we are going to have some sort of maritime incident,” Humphrey said.

People who work on the water said they share those concerns.

“They need to be there not just for ships hitting a bridge or running aground, but for ships coming into contact with each other,” said John Barnett, a commercial fisherman and president of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association.

Barnett said vessel traffic service operators play a critical role in keeping both large commercial vessels and smaller boats safe on the bay.

“They have to buy food. I commend them for continuing to go to work. But I don’t know how long they’re going to be able to do that,” he said.

Humphrey said he hopes lawmakers will soon reach a compromise on a funding bill.

“I don’t think it’s fair that the people of the San Francisco Bay Region have to be put at even a tiny bit more risk,” he said.

The San Francisco Bar Pilots also released a statement urging Congress to reach a funding agreement soon.

“Protocols are in place for when VTS is operating at a reduced capacity, so there is not an absence of communication – pilots can still navigate commercial ships safely, but the system functions best when there is VTS in place coordinating between ships, ferries, and recreational traffic on the water,” said Capt. John Carlier, President of the San Francisco Bar Pilots, in the statement.

However, Republican and Democratic senators said on Thursday they remained far apart on a deal, and no immediate solution was expected.