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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

Helpful information for Transocean DEEPWATER HORIZON Rig Workers
Apr 23, 2010
The Young Firm, a maritime injury law firm in New Orleans that focuses on maritime injury law, has posted several articles online on its website in an effort to help injured rig workers from the Transocean DEEPWATER HORIZON explosion. These articles address immediate questions the workers may have including the process of hiring a lawyer, what should be done now, and if the workers even need to hire an attorney right away. The articles also discuss maritime law and the tactics the companies involved may use to lower settlements to injured workers. - 21 - 30
Deepwater Horizon Explosion Gulf of Mexico
Apr 21, 2010
Reports of 7 crew members being severely injured arising out of the explosion of the Transocean DEEPWATER HORIZON which occurred in the Gulf of Mexico have been received by NOLA.com. You can read the article online here.

We will be posting helpful information as we can learn more. - 22 - 30
Crewman killed when tugboat sinks in West Virginia river
Apr 20, 2010
A crewman was killed when the towboat he was manning sank in the Kanawha River of West Virginia.

Greg Smith of Cattlesburg, Kentucky was part of a two-man crew on the 67-foot towing vessel, the Misty Dawn. The tow boat, which is owned by Ross Brothers Construction of Ashland, KY had been pushing a barge carrying a crane towards Charleston.

The barge began taking on water on Sunday, April 18 around 6 p.m. The Misty Dawn continued to push the barge towards the shore. It sank near mile mark 37 in Poca. Eight hours later, the tow boat sank just a few hundred yards from the barge.

One crew member was able to jump off the vessel and swim to shore. Greg Smith was not able to escape. A water rescue crew found his body on Monday afternoon.

The sinkings are being investigated. The Coast Guard is treating the incidents as two unrelated accidents.

The Misty Dawn had 4,000 gallons of fuel onboard and the Coast Guard is working to contain the spill. Salvage of the vessels will begin later this week. The river is closed for two miles around the sinking.

If you have been injured or have lost a loved one on a vessel that was unseaworthy, you have a right to compensation under maritime law. Contact the Jones Act attorneys at The Young Firm to learn more.

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Expansion of oil exploration means more offshore jobs for Louisiana
Apr 03, 2010
The Obama administration sparked an uproar among both parties when it was announced that the President had approved new exploration for oil and gas off the coasts of Virginia, other parts of the mid-and south Atlantic, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and parts of Alaska.

It is almost certain that increased exploration and the opening of more of the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling will mean more offshore jobs for seamen in Louisiana. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar came to New Orleans to announce an expedited lease sale of 18 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico. The sale will take place on August 18. He expects this sale will result in 2,000 jobs a year for 40 years, with up to 4,000 jobs during peak production periods.

The new leases are located from 9 miles to about 250 miles offshore in water depths ranging from 16 feet to over two miles. It is estimated that the new leases could result in 423 million barrels of oil and 2.64 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

More offshore jobs may also mean more maritime accidents. As demand for workers increases, it is important that workers receive all the appropriate safety training. Offshore oil workers have dangerous jobs and must be able to deal with a variety of hazardous conditions to avoid maritime accidents, serious injury, and loss of life.

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Cruise ship resumes service after 3rd norovirus outbreak
Mar 22, 2010
After a month-long outbreak of stomach illness, the Celebrity Mercury set sail from its homeport of Charleston and is travelling through the Gulf of Mexico on its way to the Caribbean.

The 1,870 passenger cruise ship has been plagued with three consecutive outbreaks of the norovirus among its passengers. Norovirus is a highly contagious, non-fatal stomach illness that causes nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Unfortunately for the victims, these symptoms make a trip memorable in the wrong way.

The last voyage of the Mercury ended early after 406 or 22% of the passengers on the ship reported gastrointestinal symptoms. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a rare “no sail” recommendation for the ship. This is the largest outbreak of the virus recorded on a cruise ship.

Celebrity Cruise Lines believes that passengers are bringing the disease on board the ship. South Carolina has experience a higher than normal number of norovirus cases.

The ship has undergone a top-to-bottom deep cleaning and disinfecting. Cruise company representatives say it is now safe for passengers to sail.

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U.S. marshals seize tanker to pay sailors’ wages
Mar 19, 2010
United States marshals have seized the vessel, Sapphire Star, because the tanker's owners owe 14 sailors approximately $173,000 for three months of work.

The federal agents took custody of the vessel on March 19, 2010 after the sailors sued for back wages and other expenses.

The Sapphire Star is a Portuguese-flagged vessel docked in Houston Ship Channel. It is owned by the Norwegian company LPG ships and is managed by an Italian citizen. The workers are from Latvia, Ukraine and Russia. The sailors are being helped by the Houston International Seafarers’ Center.

United States maritime law protects the rights of American sailors. The Penalty Wage Statute grants seamen the right to be paid within 4 days after being discharged after a voyage. Click here to learn more about the Penalty Wage Statute.

The Young Firm of New Orleans represents maritime workers in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. If you have you have a question about your rights, contact our office at 866-938-6113.
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Longshoreman’s death is terminal’s 17th safety violation in 5 years
Mar 10, 2010
The Virginia Port Authority’s terminal operator received its 17th safety violation in five years after the December death of a longshoreman.

Since January 1, 2005 Virginia International Terminals, Inc. had been cited 16 times by U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials. The death of dock foreman David B. Weiland resulted in the 17th citation.

Weiland was killed when a machine used to move shipping containers struck a 105-foot light pole which fell and crushed his car. The employee operating the vehicle that hit the light pole had been involved in four incidents in which objects were struck. Although none of these incidents involved personal injury, regulations require that operators of industrial trucks who are involved in accidents or near-miss accidents receive refresher training. OSHA found that the employee had not received that training.

Eleven of the 17 OSHA violations were classified as “serious”. This means that OSHA believed that there was a “substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and where the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard.” When an employer knows of possible harm to employees, but does not rectify the situation, the employer can be found negligent.

Weiland’s death was the sixth employee death at the terminal in those five years.

When a longshoreman or dockworker is injured or dies because of an employer’s negligence, he and his family have rights. Contact the maritime law attorneys at The Young Firm to learn more.

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Gulf of Mexico oil platform faces federal scrutiny
Mar 02, 2010
Nineteen Democrats from the U.S. House of Representatives are asking the Mineral Management Service (MMS) to investigate whether British Petroleum PLC (BP) has the engineering documents required to safely operate its Atlantis oil and gas platform.

The Atlantis platform is the deepest moored semi-submersible floating oil and gas production facility in the world. It is located 190 miles south of New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico.

Representative Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona), who chairs the House Natural Resources subcommittee that oversees public lands, led the group that reported a whistle-blower had notified MMS in March 2009 that he believed BP did not have the required engineer-approved drawings for the Atlantis sub-sea components.

A review of BP’s database from that time showed that more than 90 percent of the required documents may not have been approved by a professional engineer. A BP internal document also indicated that BP was using incomplete or inaccurate documents.

If the platform is operating without these documents, the lawmakers wrote “(it would) increase the risk of catastrophic accident that would threaten not only the workers on the platform, but also the Gulf of Mexico and the communities that depend on the resources it provides.”

A BP spokesperson said the company has complied with MMS regulations. MMS will investigate.

When big companies are negligent, workers are put at risk. If you have been injured while working offshore, you have rights under maritime law. Contact The Young Firm at 868-938-6113 for more information.
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Yacht company agrees to pay damages to family of capsizing victim
Mar 02, 2010
Cape Fear Yacht Works, a yacht building company based in Galveston, Texas has agreed to pay damages to the family of a man killed when a sailing ship capsized during a regatta.

Fifty-three-year-old Roger Stone was a member of the Texas A&M University-Galveston Sea Aggie sailing team. The team was competing in the Regatta de Amigos on their vessel, the 38-foot long “Cynthia Woods”. On June 26, 2008, the “Cynthia Woods” and 25 other sailboats embarked on the 700-mile journey from Galveston, TX to Vera Cruz, Mexico.

During the voyage, the sailboats 5,000 pound lead keel broke apart from the hull and fell into the Gulf of Mexico. The damage caused the boat to capsize and sink. Stone was killed. The five other teammates, including two student sailors that stone had helped off he boat, spent 26 hours adrift in the Gulf before they were rescued by the Coast Guard.

The vessel was a gift to Texas A&M from Galveston billionaire and philanthropist George P. Mitchell. Mitchell’s son is the owner of Cape Fear Yacht Works which manufactured the sailing ship in 2005.

The maritime lawsuit filed by Linda Stone accused Cape Fear Yacht Works and boat designer Bruce Marek with failure in proper design and manufacture. Cape Fear Yacht Works will pay the widow and children of Roger Stone $375,000 a year for the next three years.
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Oil rig or gas pipeline worker rated “worst” job in the U.S.
Feb 21, 2010
A recent story in Forbes Magazine rated oil rig and gas pipeline workers as having the worst job in America for 2010. Surprised? In Louisiana and around the Gulf of Mexico, working for the oil companies is considered a good job.

Forbes and CareerCast, an employment web site, rated 200 occupations using five criteria: pay, hiring outlook, work environment, stress, and physical demands. They used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the Census Bureau and trade association studies.

So what makes oil rig or gas pipeline worker the worst job in America? It is the danger that workers face.

Oil rig workers work 12 or more hours a day. They operate or fix heavy machinery, navigate slippery surfaces, endure extreme weather conditions, and travel from platform to platform on rough seas. Many employees are young and inexperienced and may not have had adequate safety training. These factors add up to a stressful environment where injury is likely to occur.

Given these conditions, it is no surprise that oil rig and gas pipeline workers have high injury and fatality rates. Common types of accidents include: slips and falls, machinery accidents, explosions, fire, falling objects, exposure to hazardous chemicals and vessel accidents. These accidents can lead to injuries ranging from broken bones and burns to brain injuries and spinal cord injuries to even death.

Oil rig and gas pipeline workers who are injured on the job have rights under maritime law. Call The Young Firm to learn more
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