Hearing to focus on why Seattle crab boat with 6 aboard sank

SEATTLE -- A hearing opens Monday into what caused a Seattle-based crab boat with six people aboard to sink in the Bering Sea.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the hearing will focus on weather and human factors, as well as the stability of the fishing vessel Destination before it went missing Feb. 11 off a remote Alaska island.

Our news partner The Seattle Times reports that Coast Guard officers will hear testimony from the vessel owner, former crew and others as they piece together what went wrong.

The Coast Guard received an emergency positioning signal from the Destination northwest of St. George Island on Feb. 11. Searchers found the signal device and buoys in a debris field, but no signs of its six crew members.

The 98-foot (30-meter) vessel was found last month in water off St. George Island.

The Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation hearing in Seattle is expected to last two weeks.