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In spite of all the attention on the maritime piracy menace and increased patrolling along the Somali coastline, there has been a record increase in pirate attacks reported from around the globe this year.  According to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, there were a record 142 attacks during the fi...

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An offshore worker on an oil and gas platform off the coast of Louisiana was killed in an accident  when he fell through a deck opening earlier this week.  The accident occurred at about 4 AM on Monday.  According to the Bureau of Ocean Energy to Management, Regulation and Enforcement, the man was working on a natural gas producing platform t...

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A female Houston port worker had a lucky escape, after she fell inside the hull of a vessel last week.  The maritime accident occurred in the Port of Houston.  The woman apparently fell into the cargo hold.  Emergency rescue personnel, including firefighters from the Houston Fire Department were summoned to the scene.   A total of 15 fire resc...

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced the publication of a final rule for shipyard worker safety.  The final rule has been published in the May 2 Federal Register, and is meant to be an update to earlier shipyard regulations that have been left unchanged for decades. Shipyard worker safety rules were established back...

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Three men are dead and two are still missing after they vanished during a clam digging trip southwest of Kalgin Island in Cook Inlet, Alaska. The Coast Guard began searching after it got a call Tuesday afternoon from Pacific Alaska Shellfish.  The commercial clamming employer told the Coast Guard that five of its maritime employees on board a c...

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The maritime lawyers of Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. have handled all types of offshore injury cases in our 47 years of practice.  And, in our experience, some of the most traumatic injuries occur with amputations or partial-amputations.   Obviously, losing a limb or part of a limb is devastating to any person.  But to the men ...

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  Salvage divers have been searching the waters for answers after the Gulf of Mexico vessel collision last week.  It has now been confirmed that on Saturday, the divers located the body of Lindsey A. Tucker, the cook aboard the commercial fishing vessel Sandy Point.  The body was found in the cabin of the sunken pogy boat.  The two other crew m...

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Independent salvage divers have been working for days to recover the remains of the three missing crewmembers of Omega Protein’s Sandy Point commercial fishing vessel.  Media reports this morning indicate that the bodies of 48 year-old Rhoderick Watkins of Moss Point, 65-year old Thomas L. Moore of Havelock, North Carolina, and 58 year-old Lind...

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Hip-hop singer Sean Kingston has been stabilized and moved to the intensive care unit at a hospital after crashing his watercraft into a Miami Beach bridge, his publicist said today.  The vessel was later identified by People Magazine as a jet ski.   Kingston and a female passenger were injured when the watercraft hit the Palm Island Bridge ar...

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A fuel tank exploded and caught fire close to a cruise ship in the North Mole Cruise Line terminal of the British territory of Gibraltar on Tuesday, injuring at least two people.  The diesel fuel tank was used to refuel ships, and was located extremely close to the giant Royal Caribbean cruise ship the Independence of the Seas.  This type of fi...

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An investigation by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement says that a number of violations and deficiencies contributed to the fire on an offshore platform off the coast of Louisiana last year.  According to the investigation, one of the reasons for the fire was the collapse of a tube inside a piece of equipment that ...

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A crane operator was fortunate to escape without serious injuries in an accident on a barge on Muskegon Lake, Michigan.  The crane tipped over, trapping the operator underneath.  The 38-year-old operator had been using the crane for lifting when it suddenly tipped over.  A steel beam crashed through the cabin of the crane, trapping the operator ...

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As maritime attorneys, we know that surgery after a spinal cord injury can help management of pain in such patients.  However, new research out of the UK suggests that surgery after an injury can also benefit the patient by dramatically lowering his death risks.  According to the data presented at a conference of the British Geriatrics Society,...

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One of the factors that ultimately contributed to the deadly Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion last year was the lack of adequate inspection and oversight by the federal administration.  Currently, lone inspectors are sent for inspections of oil rigs.  That could soon change, with the federal administration announcing that from now on, teams o...

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Transocean has released its investigative report into the Gulf Of Mexico oil rig explosion last April.  Not surprisingly to maritime lawyers, the company has chosen to place the blame for the explosion on BP. According to the Transocean press release, soon after the Deepwater Horizon explosion last year, the company commissioned an internal inv...

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In our maritime law practice, we pride ourselves on using the latest technologies, gadgetry and tools to win our clients’ cases.  It turns out that these toys can do more than just speed up research, help brainstorming and facilitate instant communication.  They can also help maritime workers who have suffered a brain injury, cope with their mem...

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A California man is the sole confirmed fatality in a deadly fishing boat accident off Baja California.  At least seven people are still missing.   The missing tourists were part of a fishing expedition in Mexico, when their vessel overturned in the early hours of Saturday morning.  The Mexican Navy and the US Coast Guard are continuing efforts t...

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All crew members on a Transocean semisubmersible rig off Ghana are reported to be uninjured after reports of water on board.  The water ingress on the Transocean Marianas came to light when the crew members were getting ready to move location.  According to Transocean, the rig was not drilling at the time.  However, all 108 nonessential personne...

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Russian authorities are promising tough action against a riverboat operator after a deadly boat accident in the Volga River that has left more than 100 people dead.     The boat capsized on Sunday.  73 people have been confirmed dead.  Dozens more, including children are still missing.  Hopes for more survivors have been dimming.   The dead ...

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Over the past few years, as fishing vessels, cargo ships and other types of vessels avoid any travel in the Indian Ocean because of the threat of pirate attacks, it is not just the global economy that has suffered.  Collection of scientific data which has traditionally depended on the movement of vessels in these waters has also been impacted. ...

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The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final findings after an investigation into the 2009 boating accident in the San Diego Bay that killed a young boy.  According to the report, the accident was the result of excessive speeds by the Coast Guard boat involved in the accident as well as lack of oversight by the Coast Guard. T...

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A 27 year-old recreational diver went missing Sunday, July 24, 2011, off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts.  The diver was part of a group aboard the dive charter vessel John Jack.  The dive group was exploring the wreckage of the Andrea Doria.   The Andrea Doria lies in about 200 feet of water.  It is an Italian luxury vessel which sank a...

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An important piece of offshore safety legislation that would have clearly defined how drilling safety plans in US waters should progress, is currently left hanging after lawmakers disagreed over revenue sharing payments to states.  The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee was debating legislation that would enhance offshore drilling sa...

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The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement has been strongly focused on increasing offshore worker safety and preventing accidents like the Gulf of Mexico BP explosion last year.  The agency has had its work cut out for it, as it struggles to deal with years of ineptitude, negligence and inappropriate relationships between...

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From commercial fishing vessel crew members to offshore oil rig workers, all kinds of maritime workers may be at risk of head and brain injuries.  These are some of the most serious injuries, and can leave a person with long lifelong consequences.  A new study confirms yet another one of those long-term effects of a brain injury.  The study sugg...

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Passengers on a Cougar helicopter that was ferrying offshore workers to St. John's suffered a nasty shock last week, when the helicopter suffered serious problems and barely avoided a crash. The helicopter had just taken off from the Sea Rose Floating Production, Storage and Offloading facility when it experienced a sudden increase in pitch.  T...

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A worker on an offshore platform in the Gulf Of Mexico had to be airlifted after he suffered injuries in an accident.  According to the Coast Guard, the man was injured on a platform located about 55 miles southwest of Marsh Island. Crewmembers contacted the Coast Guard Sector New Orleans to alert them that a man on board had suffered serious f...

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Tug boat pilot, Matthew Devlin, pled guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge on Monday, August 1, 2011.  Two tourists died from the accident on July 7, 2010, when a barge crashed into a duck boat that was stalled in the Delaware River.  The operator did not receive notice that the duck boat was stopped in his path because he had turned his ...

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A crane collapsed while loading equipment onto a work boat, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement report.  On Tuesday, August 16, 2011, the boom hoist cable failed, killing one worker on the site in the Gulf of Mexico.  The platform, owned by Energy Resource Technology, is now the site of an investigation...

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The Coast Guard published plans to implement a new inspection process for towing vessels last week.  In the 76th volume of the Federal Register released on August 11, the Coast Guard posted their proposed rules.  They plan to finalize the regulations in four public meetings this fall.  The new system will have two options for obtaining safety ce...

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The man killed in an offshore crane accident on Tuesday has been identified as  20-year-old Brandon Noland.  The Katy resident died at the platform where he was working that morning after a crane collapsed and hit him.  The autopsy released by the medical examiner's office stated that he died of blunt-force trauma from a crushing injury. By fol...

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Royal Dutch Shell is trying to defend its offshore safety record, after attacks by environmental safety groups over a leak from a Shell platform in the North Sea. Shell has confirmed that it has managed to plug the leak from its Gannet Alpha platform which is located just 112 miles off Aberdeen, Scotland.  The leak resulted in more than 200 ton...

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GULF OF MEXICO — Air and sea search teams continued Saturday to hunt for 10 oil workers missing in the Gulf of Mexico after they abandoned a disabled research vessel. Five helicopters, a fixed-wing airplane and two vessels searched for the men in Mexico, said Brenda Taquino, spokesperson for Houston-based Geokinetics. Geokinetics contracted the...

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Six crewmembers on a fishing vessel had to be rescued after their fishing boat sank off Catalina Island last week.  According to the Coast Guard, the fishing vessel, the Midnight Star, ha 6 members on board, when it sank for unknown reasons near Eagle Rock.     Four fishermen were able to leave the boat in a stiff.  Two of the crewmembers fell ...

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Offshore safety regulators in the UK are concerned about deteriorating equipment on oil rig in the North Sea after a leak from a Shell pipeline just off Aberdeen.  According to documents obtained by an offshore workers union, the Health and Safety Executive is concerned about the safety of these rigs. The Health and Safety Executive has sent no...

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In the future, offshore oil rigs may be safer because pipes are manufactured with safer materials, thanks to research at the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology who are currently using car crash test software to predict pipe fractures. Offshore drilling pipes may be subjected to extreme pressure as they travel deep into the ocean, and require...

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The US Coast Guard has issued a marine safety alert, warning vessel owners that many DSC radio distress alerts lack appropriate location and identity information.   The Coast Guard’s new marine radio network is now operational across the country.  Rescue 21 will allow rescue centers to receive immediate distress alerts from DSC -capable VHF mar...

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A judge has handed plaintiffs, who sustained losses during the BP oil rig explosion last year, a huge victory.  He has ruled that BP can indeed be sued for punitive damages.  According to Judge Carl Barbier plaintiffs are allowed under maritime law to make a claim for punitive damages. BP, Transocean and other defendants have insisted that puni...

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Royal Dutch Shell is trying to defend its offshore safety record, after attacks by environmental safety groups over a leak from a Shell platform in the North Sea. Shell has confirmed that it has managed to plug the leak from its Gannet Alpha platform, which is located just 112 miles off Aberdeen, Scotland. The leak resulted in more than 200 ton...

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Six oil workers were rescued after they were stranded for three days post Tropical Storm Nate in the Gulf of Mexico. The seventh worker, who had been rescued, died in the hospital. Out of the ten workers who were stranded in the Gulf of Mexico, two died and their bodies have been recovered. Search efforts for a missing crewmember are still on. ...

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Frustrated at the continuing growth of piracy especially in the Indian Ocean region, shipping industry groups have asked the United Nations to step in and create an armed military force.  Four shipping industry associations, including the International Chamber of Shipping, InterCargo, BIMCO and INTERTANKO have written a letter to the United Nat...

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The pilot who was navigating an 810-foot tanker through the Sabine-Neches Ship Channel in 2010 was tired and suffering from a sleep disorder, while the second pilot was reading a newspaper, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report. Federal investigators said Tuesday that these factors, in conjunction with lax regulations, cont...

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A local barge company has been cited for 40 safety violations following an April flash fire that left two employees dead at its Freeport facility. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration cited Texas Barge & Boat Inc. with one willful and 39 serious violations, as well as penalties of about $220,000, after inspectors investigated the i...

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A Hercules Offshore liftboat that was struck by several waterspouts capsized in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana on Friday evening. Five crewmembers aboard the Starfish vessel were evacuated and rescued at sea shortly after the capsizing. They were treated for minor injuries at hospital in Houma, Louisiana, and released. The vessel, a 140-clas...

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A fire on a Norwegian cruise ship led to the deaths of two crewmembers, and evacuation of passengers on board.   The incident occurred last week, on the MS Nordly. The ship was sailing with 260 people on board, including crewmembers.  The fire broke out in the engine room and quickly spread.  Once it became clear that the fire was out of contro...

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A man who was at the controls of a powerboat that crashed into a sailboat off Hull, Massachusetts, has been arrested and charged with operating a boat while drunk. The accident which occurred over the weekend resulted in the death of a female passenger in the powerboat.  She was thrown out of the boat on impact.  Police at the scene found signs...

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The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement has laid much of the blame for the Gulf of Mexico oil explosion last year on BP. However, Transocean, the owner of the rig, and Halliburton, which did much of the cementing work on the vessel, have not been spared blame either. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation an...

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Before the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, seamen were subject to ill treatment, including abuse and atrocious working conditions. They had no legal protection against their employers, and injuries, illness or death at sea were just considered occupational hazards. Part of that 1920 law, the Jones Act, changed those circumstances, giving seamen sp...

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The world's first clinical trial into the use of embryonic stem cells to treat spinal cord injury is continuing in California. Last week, another patient, the first from California, enlisted in the trial. This person has been paralyzed waist down, and is currently undergoing stem cell injection therapy at the Santa Clara Medical Valley Center. ...

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Every Jones Act seaman is eligible for maintenance and cure payments after an injury. These payments do not depend on whether the employer or the worker was responsible for the injury.  Maintenance payments are meant to cover the seaman's living expenses during the injury. These payments should cover rent, groceries, utility expenses, travel co...

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The body of a shrimper, who disappeared after a maritime accident in Cocodrie, Louisiana has now been found. The accident occurred last week when a 25-foot shrimp boat collided with a aluminum hull vessel.  According to authorities, the accident occurred near the Houma Navigation Canal and Bayou Little Caillou. A seventy-three man on the shrimp...

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The National Transportation Safety Board has released the results of an investigation into a maritime accident in the Sabine-Neches Canal last year that resulted in thousands of gallons of oil being spilled into the water.  The accident occurred in January 2010, and involved a collision between the tank ship Eagle Otome the cargo vessel Gulf Ar...

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The use of separate MRI and PET scans to detect brain injury could soon be a thing of the past. The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center has begun using a device that combines both MRI and PET scans. The MRI scan can be used to look for abnormalities in the body, while the PET scan gives information about metabolic activity in the abnor...

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Whether you work as a seaman, dockworker or offshore laborer, if you’ve been injured during the course of your marine industry job then you likely have rights under maritime law. Depending on your occupation, your injury claim is subject to different requirements and compensation rules. Qualified maritime lawyers can help you determine which la...

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The international maritime community marked September 1 as World Maritime Day. This year, the focus was on eradicating piracy. According to the US Coast Guard, maritime piracy now costs the world economy between $7 billion and $12 billion a year. Staggering as those numbers are, the human costs of piracy are far greater.  This World Maritime Da...

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A certain class of maritime workers qualifies for injury compensation under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. These workers include shipyard and ship building workers, longshoremen, dockworkers, port crane operators, and stevedores.  When these workers are injured, they are automatically eligible for compensation under the Act...

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The Jones Act allows a maritime worker to file a claim against a vessel owner, if he has been injured by unsafe work conditions on a vessel. These claims are called unseaworthiness claims, and are filed only against the vessel owner, not the employer. However, in some cases, the vessel owner may be the employer of the worker, in which case, he m...

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An elderly woman died and seven other people were rescued after their boat capsized in the Florida Keys last weekend. The 8 people were on a 22-foot pleasure craft and were out on a fishing trip, when a large wave swamped their boat.  Three of the men, who could not swim and were not wearing personal flotation devices, held on to the side of th...

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After three people were killed in a boat accident in California, investigators are trying to re-create the tragedy, and divers are searching for a recording device that had been mounted on the watercraft ridden by the victims.  The accident occurred in the Puddingstone Reservoir in Eastern Los Angeles County. The three women were on board on a ...

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The International Chamber Of Commerce International Maritime Bureau’s latest global piracy report has both good and bad news for maritime lawyers. The bad news is that pirate attacks continued to rise this year to record levels. The good news however, is that more and more vessels are being successful in thwarting pirate attacks. According to t...

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The man involved in a deadly shooting at a beauty salon in California which killed 8 people, reportedly suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder brought on by a maritime accident he had been involved in. The man used to be a maritime worker, and had worked on tugboats, barges and fishing vessels. In 2007, he was severely injured in an accid...

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Soon, maritime workers who suffer severe or multiple fractures in a workplace accident may have access to a much quicker treatment using ultrasound. Doctors in Scotland have successfully experimented with a new technology using ultrasound to treat fractures. The techniques have been used at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. The technique involves us...

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Distracted operation of a vessel may involve more than cell phones and texting devices as maritime lawyers often see. The captain of a British ferry that crashed into a French fishing vessel in March this year was distracted by, among other things, a discussion of the way actress Halle Berry looked like in the movie, “Catwoman.” According to an...

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Families of seamen killed in the course of work may have legal recourse under U.S. maritime laws. The circumstances will determine which laws you are able to file claims under.  If your loved one was killed at sea while working, an experienced maritime lawyer can help determine your rights and assist you in deciding whether to file a claim. Wh...

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Commercial divers can suffer serious injuries or even die as a result of employer negligence. However, not all commercial divers may be eligible for Jones Act seaman status, which means that they may not be eligible to file a lawsuit under the Act.The very first condition that a commercial diver must satisfy is that he must meet the requirements...

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Commercial divers can suffer serious injuries or even die as a result of employer negligence. However, not all commercial divers may be eligible for Jones Act seaman status, which means that they may not be eligible to file a lawsuit under the Act.The very first condition that a commercial diver must satisfy is that he must meet the requirements...

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Maritime attorneys and environmental groups will not quickly forget last year's Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion and the resulting spill. In New Zealand, the government is struggling to contain that country’s biggest oil spill, resulting after a maritime accident earlier this month. The Liberia-flagged Rena ran aground on October 5 about 22 km ...

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Maritime piracy has been a serious issue facing the global community and international industries for hundreds of years. No longer are the pirates seeking gold or treasure, though. Piracy in this decade target ships carrying oil or goods, and also crewmembers have been taken hostage. Global efforts to stem the tide of piracy have been met with ...

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In rare cases, a maritime worker may have his rights to maintenance and cure denied because of undesirable behavior like alcohol or drug use. In a classic example of such a case, a worker who filed a lawsuit against Omega Protein Inc. has had his claim rejected. The man was a worker on board the company's fishing vessel, and sustained injuries ...

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Both cruise ship crew members and passengers may be eligible for damages in the event of an accident or injury on a vessel. However, the laws governing compensation for crewmembers are different from those for passengers. Passengers on a cruise vessel could suffer fall accidents, or accidents in the swimming pool or other amusement facilities o...

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Researchers in Hawaii have confirmed that a massive floating island of tsunami debris from Japan is likely to hit the Hawaiian coast by the year 2013. Researchers are currently conducting more studies to more accurately predict exactly when the debris is likely to hit shore. In September, a Russian ship sailing in the Pacific Ocean found the ts...

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A man caught beneath a crane while working at the Houston Ship Channel on Tuesday night died after being rushed to the hospital. The man was working at the Barbours Cut Terminal when he was caught beneath a crane that started to move, said Joe Trevino, vice president of the International Longshoremen’s Association. The man’s legs were severed ...

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A number of recent maritime incidents have had maritime lawyers concerned about increased access to technology on vessels, and the accident risks from this. In one incident, reported by the London P & I Club in its Stoploss Bulletin, a recent pollution-incident was caused by a duty officer's distraction.  The officer was apparently trying to ma...

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Two vessels collided near the Texas City Dike on Tuesday morning, shutting down a portion of the Houston Ship Channel. Both boats were deep-draft motor vessels, said a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson. No injuries, damage or pollution were reported as a result of the accident, which happened just after 8 a.m. The vessels were anchored where the c...

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The Air Accident Investigations Branch has completed its investigation into an offshore helicopter crash in the North Sea in March 2009 that killed 16 people, including 14 offshore workers and 2 pilots. The report blames the accident on the failure to identify a potential problem in the gearbox just one week before the crash. According to the r...

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The international community has intensified efforts to prevent pirate attacks, and it is not surprising to see that pirates have been changing tactics to keep pace too. Typically, pirate attacks slump during the monsoon season. However, this year, the International Maritime Bureau has issued a statement warning seamen and shipping companies of ...

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A longshore worker who filed a claim under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act claiming negligence has had his claim rejected due to insufficient evidence. The man, who worked for a stevedoring company, alleged that he suffered injuries when he fell from a rope ladder on a vessel.  According to his claim, as he was going down the...

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A crew member on a freighter had to be airlifted by a Coast Guard helicopter after he suffered injuries on the vessel last week. The vessel was located just about 50 miles off the coast of Trinidad, California.  Crew members on the 700-foot MV Caribbean contacted the Coast Guard to report that one of their coworkers had been severely injured af...

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The Death on the High Seas Act is a set of maritime laws that provides compensation for family members of seamen killed in international waters. Under the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA), survivors of a seaman, who is killed at least three miles off US waters due to negligence, may be eligible for compensation. However, there are certain res...

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The British government has finally agreed to allow British-flagged vessels to carry armed guards to protect them from pirate attacks. Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron announced that he was allowing this measure in order to protect vessels from pirate attacks, especially off the coast of Somalia. According to the British government, no vessel th...

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A bill introduced in the US House of Representatives would require rescue boats to be stationed within three nautical miles of offshore oil and gas drilling rigs.  The measure has been sponsored by Louisiana Rep. Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia. According to him, the proposal aims to find a common sense approach to the safety problems facing the offs...

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The pilot at the helm of a tugboat-barge formation that crashed into a Ride-the-Ducks amphibious tourist boat in the Delaware River last year killing two Hungarian tourists, has been sentenced to one year in prison. An investigation report by the National Transportation Safety Board had found that the pilot, Matthew Devlin had been distracted b...

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The captain of a cruise liner that ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan coast Friday, leaving 6 dead, is being held by authorities for suspected manslaughter. A search of the ship was continuing Monday in rough seas for 16 people still unaccounted for. A prosecutor confirmed they also were investigating allegations that the captain abandoned...

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Chevron Corp. officials said 2 workers were missing after a rig off Nigeria’s coast caught fire Monday. The company said that 152 workers had been found, but officials were still accounting for all those working on the offshore rig, which was exploring possible deep-water oil and gas fields. The cause of the fire was still under investigation,...

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Five more bodies were found Tuesday, bringing the total dead to 11 after the Costa Concordia hit rocks and capsized Friday off the Italian coast. The search for missing continued as navy explosives experts blasted a hole in the vessel’s hull to provide access to search-and-rescue teams. The ship’s captain was still in jail as investigators cont...

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The search for missing passengers off the Italian coast amid the wreckage of the Costa Concordia was suspended Wednesday after the ship shifted on the rocks, making the situation too dangerous for rescue workers. Since the luxury liner crashed into rocks and capsized Friday, 11 people have been confirmed dead, and 23 are still missing. Salvage ...

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A 15-year-old passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by two fellow passengers on a cruise line this Christmas.  The two male passengers, including a 20-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy, are being accused of luring the young girl to a private room, where they allegedly raped her. The incident occ...

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Rescue operations again were suspended Friday after the stricken Costa Concordia shifted in choppy seas off the Italian coast, increasing concerns about a possible fuel leak. Eleven people have been confirmed dead and at least 22 are still missing after the cruise liner struck rocks and capsized off the coast of the tiny island of Giglio. Also...

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Divers searching the Costa Concordia discovered another body Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 16 in the Italian cruise ship disaster. At least six of the recovered bodies have yet to be identified, but are presumed to include some of the 17 people still unaccounted for. The luxury liner ran aground and capsized Jan. 13 just off the tiny isla...

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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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The Christmas holiday cruise season will soon get underway, and thousands of vacationers across the country will set off on a dream vacation on the sea. It is the right time for passengers to understand that there are dangers on a cruise vacation that they may not always be aware of.  MSNBC has a timely report on an increasing number of inciden...

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The International Maritime Organization has released data to mark 12 months of battling piracy. According to the statistics, the number of vessels held captive by Somali pirate gangs has dropped from 33 ships in February to 13 at the beginning of December. Further, the number of seamen being held captive by Somali pirates has dropped from 733 in...

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The families of 39 crewmembers of the Russian oil rig which collapsed and sank off the coast of Russia last week, are coming to terms with the fact that their loved ones will never be found. Mixed with sorrow is also anger that company officials went ahead with what was possibly a suicidal towing mission. The Kolskaya oil and gas drilling platf...

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More than two dozen passengers on a duck boat off California were rescued after a fire broke out on the vessel. According to the Coast Guard, it received a call over VHF-FM channel 16 on Saturday that a fire had broken out on the boat near McCovey Cove in California. The Coast Guard was able to reach the scene of the accident in the evening. Th...

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Russian transportation city officials are blaming errors made by the captain as the reason for the sinking of an Indonesia-flagged vessel in the Sea of Okhotsk. Russia's Far East transport department says that one of the main reasons for the capsizing of the Ginga was the violations of safety regulations by the captain of the vessel. The Ginga ...

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A scientific panel is recommending that U.S. offshore drilling companies take a more systematic approach to offshore safety in order to prevent a disaster like the BP oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico last year.  The recommendations were made by the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council. In a new report, the two ag...

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Japanese researchers have successfully used stem cells derived from tooth pulp to treat damaged spinal cord cells. The research has been conducted on rats, and clinical trials on humans are still a long way off, but the results have been encouraging enough for researchers to be optimistic about the results in humans, too. The stem cells were e...

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No crewmembers have been reported injured in a maritime accident involving a Transocean oil rig and a supply vessel off the coast of Newfoundland. According to offshore safety regulators, the collision involved the offshore drilling rig GSF Grand Banks, owned by Transocean Ltd. and working for Husky Energy Inc., off the Newfoundland coastline. ...

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A worker on an oil rig owned by Brazil's national oil and gas agency has been killed in a fall accident. According to Brazilian state-controlled Petrobras, the accident occurred last week on the PUB-03 oil rig, which is located in the Rio Grande do Norte in the northeastern part of the country. The worker and two of his colleagues fell on the d...

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For maritime workers, the risk of on-the-job injury is higher than in many other occupations. Knowing your rights is important, and there are a host of errors many workers make when filing maritime claims after being hurt.Whether you have been injured already or are just looking to become informed about your legal rights, knowing these common mi...

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The U.S. Coast Guard had to undertake a medical evacuation of a containership crewmember, who suffered a serious injury on the vessel. The man was a crew member on the 855-foot Antigua and Barbados-flagged vessel Mare Phoenicium. The 62-year-old man had suffered a severed finger on his left hand. There is no information about how the injury occu...

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A maritime accident involving two barges on the Mississippi River led to an oil spill, and caused a portion of the river to be closed down recently. The accident occurred on the Mississippi River about 50 miles from New Orleans. The accident involved a construction barge that was being towed by the tugboat Alydar and the tank barge, which was b...

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The problem of Somali piracy is a complicated one, and includes a number of issues, from socio-economic collapse to tribal rivalries that need to be taken into consideration. The British Prime Minister recently hosted an international conference on Somali piracy.  The conference included representatives from more than 40 countries and internati...

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Close to a dozen people, including crew members and passengers, have been confirmed dead in the deadly Costa Concordia cruise line accident last week. While people have been seeing horrific images of the overturned vessel and the rescue operations, the New York Times is drawing attention to what maritime lawyers know is a serious problem - the l...

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Barely a few weeks after the deadly Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, passengers on another cruise vessel have been traumatized by a cruise ship accident.  According to Costa Cruises, a fire recently broke out in the engine room of the Costa Allegra. Cruise officials insist that the fire was contained and extinguished quickly. The fire did ...

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A 94-foot ship carrying about 1,650 gallons of diesel fuel ran aground Friday on the North Jetty in Galveston.The incident did not cause damage to the fuel tanks, and crews were working to remove the vessel without causing a spill. One crew member aboard the M/V Ashton T suffered a minor injury and was taken to an area hospital, authorities said...

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In 2011, there was a decline in the number of pirate attacks reported across the world, including the Somali Coastline where most of these incidents occur annually. However, according to the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Center, the decline has been slight, and maritime piracy lawyers must continue their concern over piracy off ...

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If you have been injured in a maritime accident or perhaps been the victim of a crime while on a cruise, the matter of which court has jurisdiction will be particularly important to you.Jurisdiction concerns which court or courts have authority to hear a criminal or civil case, and this can be quite complex when it comes to maritime claims. A ma...

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All crew members on an offshore oil platform operated by Petroleos Mexicano have been evacuated after a fire raged through the platform last week. There were approximately 213 workers on the KU-S platform in the Ku Maloob Zaap field in the Bay of Campeche. This is Mexico's largest oil producing field, and for several years now has been a source...

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If you are one of the tens of millions of Americans living with a medical implant such as an artificial joint or surgical mesh, you probably assumed the device was well-tested for safety. In most cases, you’d be wrong. According to Consumer Reports, most medical implants and other high-risk devices aren’t safety tested before hitting the market...

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In the wake of the Costa Concordia cruise ship tragedy, attention has been focused on what seems to be the despicable behavior of the captain, Francesco Schettino. He currently faces charges of manslaughter in the tragedy that has confirmed to have killed more than 11 people. However, it is his behavior in abandoning his vessel while passengers ...

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Investigations into the death of a chief engineer on an Australian cruise vessel during a routine drill, have focused on a lot of flaws in the systems in place on the vessel, the Oceanic Discoverer. According to investigations, the crew member died after he suffered crushing injuries when he was trapped in a watertight door. In March 2009, the ...

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Maritime law is a broad, and particularly complex, area of law that can cover a range of issues. Whatever your specific need, selecting your maritime lawyer will be critical to the success of your claim or transaction. Here are some important issues to consider when meeting a potential maritime attorney for the first time:1. What is Their Specif...

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Ever since the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, maritime law attorneys have found Transocean and BP battling over liability and damages. A judge has ruled that Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, does not have to pay any compensatory damages arising out of the marine pollution that resulted after the disaste...

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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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Several crew members were reported injured after a vessel ran aground near the Sabine Jetties near Port Arthur, Texas, recently. According to the Coast Guard, its officers from Sector Houston-Galveston were asked to respond to the site of the grounded vessel. The MV Ms. Pearl ran aground on the west side of the Sabine Jetties. There were four c...

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The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday located two men on a shrimping boat who had been reported missing. Manuel Gallardo Castillo and Faulsto Gomez Jr. left Brownsville on Thursday, heading for Tampico, Mexico. Coast Guard searchers found the men about 1 a.m. Sunday, a day after they were reported missing. The Mexican navy also was dispatched to help...

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Maritime piracy has existed nearly as long as maritime shipping and commerce. Knowing a little about the history of prosecuting pirates and how international law has evolved can help a maritime lawyer in cases involving victims of this crime.Crime Against CommerceIn the past, maritime traditions quickly developed to give jurisdiction to any nati...

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An oil platform operated by Royal Dutch Shell in the North Sea has been partially evacuated after detection of a gas leak. There were a total of 76 crew members on the Gannett Alpha platform operated by Shell in the North Sea. Out of these, 48 members were evacuated, and returned to shore by helicopter. According to Shell, the problem came to l...

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A maritime accident involving a cargo ship in Kentucky caused a partial bridge collapse last week. According to officials, the accident occurred near the US 68/KY 80 bridge over Kentucky Lake. The cargo ship, the MV Delta Mariner, struck the bridge in the late evening. The 30-foot vessel was carrying rocket components for Boeing at the time. Fo...

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According to the International Maritime Pilots Association, a ship pilot was killed recently during a fall accident on a vessel. The 58-year-old pilot was on a vessel that was sailing on the River Elbe. At the time of the accident, the pilot was attempting to board the boat. He had been standing on a ladder, when he slipped and fell into the wat...

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a shipbuilder for safety violations that contributed to the death of one worker last August. The company Jeffboat LLC is one of the country's largest inland ship builders. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched inspections of the company's barge building facilities,...

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A tugboat pilot convicted in the July 2010 crash of a barge and tour boat that left two Hungarian tourists dead said in a deposition that the collision could have been avoided if he had been at his post. Matt Devlin, who is serving a one-year sentence for the maritime equivalent of involuntary manslaughter, was on a cellphone for a family emerg...

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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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