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Maritime News

The New Orleans Jones Act attorneys at The Young Firm represent injured maritime workers. We post summaries of news stories about maritime law and accidents that affect seamen in the Gulf Mexico and beyond. If you've been injured while working at sea, The Young Firm has the resources to help you. Call 866-938-6113 to learn more.

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Maritime Law

Injured offshore worker sues claiming unsafe working conditions
Aug 31, 2010
An injured offshore platform worker has filed a lawsuit after falling through a large hole in the grating of an oil platform.

The accident occurred on August 3, 2009. Ronald Kindred was working on an offshore oil platform owned by W&T Offshore. That day, W&T was working on the grating of the platform and cut a 3-foot by 3-foot hole in the grating. Kindred states that as he was working, he stepped on an unsecured portion of grating. The grating shifted and Kindred fell in the hole. Kindred suffered serious injuries, including a crushing injury to his ribs. He required surgery and extensive medical treatment.

Ronald Kindred and his wife, Kim Kindred, filed suit against Blake International Holdings, Spartan Offshore Holdings, W&T Offshore, Fastorq and Lexington Insurance on July 20 in Terrebonne Parish District Court. The case was removed to federal court in New Orleans on Aug. 20.

According to the maritime injury lawsuit, the defendants are accused of failing to provide a safe work place, failing to properly warn of unreasonably-dangerous conditions, failing to erect barricades around the hole in the grating, improperly securing the grating and failing to provide properly trained personnel.

The couple is seeking damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of earning capacity, lost earnings, living expenses, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, permanent scarring, loss of consortium and interest, costs, and attorney fees.

Workers on offshore oil platforms are protected under maritime law. - 1 - 10
Deepwater Horizon lawsuits to be heard by New Orleans judge
Aug 15, 2010
A federal judge in New Orleans was chosen last week to preside over the more than 300 lawsuits filed against BP, Transocean, and Halliburton and Cameron International over the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered that 77 cases plus more than 200 potential "tag-along" actions will be transferred to U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier. The panel determined that New Orleans is the best place for the litigation because "Without discounting the spill's effects on other states, if there is a geographic and psychological 'center of gravity' in this docket, then the Eastern District of Louisiana is closest to it."

BP favored having the law suits heard in Houston, where its U.S. operations are based. Three lawsuits filed by BP shareholders over stock losses will be heard by U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison in Houston.

The lawsuits that will be heard in New Orleans include Jones Act and DOHSA claims filed by relatives of workers killed in explosion. Other suits that will be heard have been filed on behalf of shrimpers, commercial fishermen, charter captains, property owners, environmental groups, restaurants, hotels and others who claim they have suffered economic losses since the spill.

Only four New Orleans-based federal judges are available to hear the cases because some federal judges have reclused themselves because of their oil and gas industry investments. - 2 - 10
Crew member killed in offshore conveyor belt accident
Aug 10, 2010
A crew member on an ore boat died after being crushed in a conveyor belt system while on Lake Superior.

The accident occurred at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, August 8, 2010 on board the Stewart J. Cort, a one thousand foot ore boat which was located about 10 miles northwest of Devil's Island in Lake Superior.

The crew member, 61-year-old Denton Heske of Harrison Michigan was working with two other crew members on repairs to the vessel. Heske became caught in the conveyor belt and was crushed between a belt and a roller.

The ship’s staff attempted C.P.R. and crewmembers called for the Coast Guard and EMT's. Efforts to save Heske were unsuccessful. He died at the scene from his injuries.

Investigators from the U.S. Coast Guard and from the Bayfield County, Wisconsin sherrif's department have determined Heske's death was accidental.

Families who lose a loved one at sea are entitled to benefits under maritime law. To learn more, contact the Louisiana maritime attorneys at The Young Firm.

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Maritime injury lawsuit filed by families of Duck Boat crash victims
Aug 03, 2010
Last month, two Hungarian students drowned when a barge in the Delaware River crashed into a stalled duck boat.

The fatal accident occurred on July 7. The students, 16-year-old Dora Schwendtner and 20-year-old Szabolcs Prem, were among the 35 passengers on the amphibious tour boat. Nine others were injured. Now the families of the two victims are suing the "Ride the Ducks" company and the tug's owner, K-Sea Transportation over the offshore deaths of their loved ones.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the accident. The duck boat's crew said they used their radio to alert the tug of their position, but received no response. The NSTB is also looking the possibility that the tugboat was unable to see the duck boat in the water because of a blind spot. Tug pilots are required to use radar to make sure that they do not hit other vessels.

After the accident, the Ride the Ducks tour boat company voluntarily suspended tours in all five cities where it operates, but tours have since resumed except on the Delaware River. The U.S. Coast Guard has not yet made a decision about whether to allow duck boat tours to resume in Philadelphia. The decision is expected to be made after the NTSB completes its investigation. The attorneys for the victims’ families believe that all riverboat trips should stop.

If you have lost a loved one to the sea, call The Young Firm at 866-938-6113 to learn more about your rights under maritime law. - 4 - 10
Transocean survey shows safety a concern for Deepwater oil rig workers
Jul 22, 2010
A New York Times article reports that just weeks before the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, a confidential survey of offshore workers on the rig showed that many of them were concerned about poor maintenance and safety practices, but feared reprisals if they reported mistakes or other problems.

The survey was commissioned by the oil rig’s owner, Transocean. The workers brought up the concerns about unsafe behaviors on the rig and poor equipment reliability. It was conducted by a division of Lloyd’s Register Group, a maritime and risk-management organization.

A separate equipment assessment also commissioned by Transocean, showed that many key components on the rig, including the blowout preventer rams and failsafe valves, had not had a full inspection since 2000. Guidelines require inspection of the preventer every three to five years. The report listed at least 26 components and systems in “bad” or “poor” condition.

The two reports may be used to determine liability for the April 20 explosion, which killed 11 offshore workers.

To learn more about the rights of offshore workers injured on the job, call Louisiana maritime attorneys at The Young Firm, 1-866-938-6113.

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Five Louisiana offshore workers injured when flotell catches fire
Jul 22, 2010
Five offshore workers were injured when a minor fire broke out in their “flotell.”

The flotell, a barge stacked with shipping containers, was being used as a floating bunkhouse for more than 500 workers hired to assist British Petroleum (BP) with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico. The flotell is located in Baptiste Collette Bayou in Plaquemines Parish.

The fire was reported at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20. The fire broke out in the area being used as a mess hall. Five men were injured. The majority of the injuries were due to smoke inhalation, but one man sustained a contusion to the hand and another inhaled some fire suppressant chemicals.

The fire was put out and the flotell sustained only minor damage. BP says that all the workers were evacuated and given clean clothing.

Officials at BP are trying to determine the cause of the fire. It is unknown if the injured workers were employees of BP or a hired by a contractor hired for the oil company.
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Baptiste Collette Jack Up Boat Fire Housing Oil Spill Workers
Jul 21, 2010
A fire on a jack up boat in Batiste Collette is being reported in Louisiana near Venice. Unfortunately the barge housed oil spill workers. To read more about the rights, choices and options these workers who may have been injured in the fire may have in seeking recovery for damages due to the fire, read our article here. You can also read more from this local source about the Baptiste Collette Jack Up Boat Fire Near Venice. - 7 - 10
Two killed in Delaware tour boat sinking
Jul 16, 2010
Investigators have questions about the maritime accident that caused the sinking of the amphibious tour boat known as "Duck 34" in the Delaware River.

The accident occurred on Wednesday, July 7. The tourboat, DUKW34, was carrying 35 passengers and two crew members when it began experiencing mechanical problems. The ship’s master anchored the boat to perform repairs and alerted other duck-tour captains that they needed a tow. Ten minutes later, at 2:36 p.m. it was rammed by the bow of a 250-foot towing barge. The barge was pulled by a tug boat, the Carribean Sea. The small tour boat sank in 55 feet of water.

Two Hungarian citizens died as a result of the accident. The Coast Guard has identified them as Dora Schwendtner, 16, and Szablcs Prem, 20.

The sinking was the first on-water accident involving Ride the Ducks since it began operations in 2003. The company operates 15 “Ducks” – vessels built to resemble a World War II-era DUKW - in Philadelphia, and designates each with a number.

The accident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NSTB plans to interview the tugboat's five-person crew, and the captain and deckhand who were on Duck 34. The investigation will determine if proper radio warnings were broadcast by Duck 34, and whether the crew aboard the tug were monitoring their marine radio and keeping a lookout as they travelled upriver.

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Oil rig worker killed in Gulf of Mexico diving accident
Jul 11, 2010
A diver was killed last week while performing maintenance on a Chevron oil rig.

Chris Hollifield, 33, of Spartanburg, South Carolina was employed by Veolia Environmental Services. Hollifield was on a month-long diving trip off the Gulf Coast where he performing maintenance on an oil rig that was not related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He was working from a Normand clipper vessel at a depth of approximately 250 feet. The accident happened on Friday, June 2, 2010, the last day of Hollifield’s trip to the Gulf.

An underwater explosion occurred at about 11:30 a.m. Hollifield did not survive. The cause of the deadly explosion is under investigation.

This incident and the BP oil spill highlight the dangers that oil rig workers face every day. When a life is lost at sea, the family may have a claim under maritime law.

Hollifield leaves behind a wife and an unborn child. The maritime injury attorneys at The Young Firm offer the family our condolences.
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Fishermen dead after collision with tugboat on Tennessee River
Jun 22, 2010
Two men are dead after an accident with a barge tow that occurred on Chickamauga Lake near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The crash occurred on Saturday, June 19. Forty-two-year-old Richard Wilkey, his 37-year-old nephew David Wilkey, and his friend 45-year-old Tim Stidle were on a 15-foot fishing boat operating a trotline for cat fish. They did not move out of the way when a commercial tugboat pushing nine barges down the Tennessee River bore down on their vessel.

The collision caused the fishing boat to sink. Richard Wilkey and Stidle went overboard. Stidle’s body was found near the wreckage on Saturday afternoon. Wilkey’s body was recovered on Monday. David Wilkey was rescued and survived without injury.

The tugboat, which is owned by Serodino, Inc, of Chattanooga, did not stop after the accident. Officials do not know if the tug operator was aware of the collision.

The accident is under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. They are wondering if there was a problem with the fishing boat that prevented it from getting out of the way before the vessels collided.
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