The questions of liability for workers injured in a maritime environment and the jurisdictions of the courts that may properly hear such maritime claims is complicated by issues such as state versus federal jurisdiction and liability for injuries that arise in areas where state versus national versus international territorial waterways may not b...

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Two chemical tankers collided in the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday about 70 miles south of Galveston, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials. Both vessels were en route to Houston at the time of the crash. The Chem Sea, a 385-foot tanker, and Bow Kiso, a 557-foot tanker, collided about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. The double-hulled Bow Kiso, a Panama...

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Recently, the nation, and in fact the world, watched transfixed as news channels carried hour-by-hour coverage of the ordeal of passengers on the Carnival Triumph, as it floated helplessly on the water. A fire had disabled the engines, and the ship was left with thousands of passengers and crewmembers on board, and no power and no water supply. ...

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A person may have a maritime law claim if they have been injured while working aboard a ship, but there are many other factors that must be considered.The ship’s nation of origin, where the ship was, and who owns the ship or who employs the worker are all things to be taken into consideration when deciding whether a maritime lawsuit is a viable ...

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Seven crew members have been reported dead in a tugboat explosion tragedy off the coast of Qatar. The accident occurred one week ago, when an offshore LNG buoy terminal exploded. The crewmembers were conducting maintenance work on the buoy at the time of the explosion.  According to some sources, only one of the crew members on the tugboat esca...

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Maritime accidents are a special type of case. A person’s right to a maritime claim for an injury that occurred at sea can vary by the status of the person, whether the injured person is a passenger or a crewmember of the vessel on which the injury occurred.The legal issues involving accidents covered by maritime law can be totally different fro...

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A crewmember on an offshore supply vessel that ran aground at the Galveston North Jetty last week, sustained injuries, and had to be taken to the hospital. The accident occurred at the Galveston Jetties over the weekend when the offshore supply vessel, the Ashton T ran aground. The 94-foot vessel was carrying about 1,600 gallons of diesel fuel a...

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A crew member died after falling into the cargo bay of a cargo ship docked in the Houston Ship Channel on Thursday morning. The worker fell from the deck into the cargo hold about 12:30 a.m. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the ship was docked at Texas Terminal NO. 37 near Patrick’s Bayou. The man was pronounced dead after being rushed to Mem...

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If you have sustained a maritime injury, knowing where to turn can be quite difficult. This is especially true for individuals who are not familiar with maritime injuries, as trying to learn more about this type of injury and how it might affect you can be easier said than done.The most important thing after suffering an injury is to have a stro...

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If you have been injured in the course of work on a vessel, you may be wondering whether you need to consult a Jones Act lawyer. The answer, in most cases, is yes. The Jones Act is a federal law that provides a different system for workers compensation for those designated as “seamen.” The complexities of this maritime law are such that, even i...

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A huge fire that began Tuesday night as a tug pushing a barge in a remote Louisiana bayou struck a liquefied natural gas pipeline in shallow water could keep burning until Thursday or later. Four people were injured in the accident; three were treated and released, while one was taken to a Baton Rouge burn unit in critical condition. Pipeline o...

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The Jones Act is a maritime law that essentially serves as a worker's compensation statute for the high seas. The rules of a Jones Act claim are not exactly like worker's compensation, but can also provide additional benefits based on the conditions surrounding any particular injury claim.Any possible litigant should prepare for the initial cons...

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