Coast Guard says stranded Southeast Alaska skiff was not in distress before cruise ship helped

A skiff ran out of fuel this week in Southeast Alaska waters, and the Coast Guard says its crew was not in danger before help arrived.

Shannon Shepard, a Coast Guard public affairs specialist, said the Coast Guard determined at approximately 9 p.m. that the crew was not in distress and "subsequently issued a marine assistance request broadcast on their behalf." A marine assistance request calls for voluntary help. It is not a distress broadcast. The Coast Guard has since suspended its search for the 12- to 14-foot aluminum skiff.

Social media accounts, not Coast Guard statements, say a passing cruise ship, rather than the nearest vessel, ultimately reached the crew. The case drew wide attention online after claims that a superyacht reported to belong to Mark Zuckerberg was closer and did not answer the radio.

Journalist Eric Umansky wrote on Bluesky that "Zuck's folks said no." Michael Love, a passenger on the small-ship cruise, wrote that his boat "rescued a stranded vessel last night and apparently we did that after the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg's yacht, which was closer, and they repeatedly refused to respond." Love added there was "near unanimous booing when the captain announced this."

The Coast Guard statements available do not say which vessels heard or declined the broadcast.