Practice Areas

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.

Page 5 of 8 < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >

Maritime Law

Deaths of LA Longshoremen Underscore the Need for Worker Safety
Sep 25, 2009
On September 12, 2009, longshoreman John Robert Kiser was fatally crushed by an empty container as he was directing traffic on the Los Angeles waterfront.

It was the fourth such accident in the Los Angeles area in less than eighteen months.

In January, another longshoreman, 53-year-old Pablo Garcia, was standing outside his rig when he was plowed into by a yard tractor. The driver’s blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit. Just days later, trucker Felipe Curiel was seriously injured when a container fell on the cab of his truck. The firefighters who extracted Curiel from his flattened truck called his survival “miraculous”.

In April 2008, 73-year-old Carlos Rivera was killed after more than 40 years of dock experience. He was supervising the offloading of a ship when he was hit by a forklift driver.

Longshoremen do dangerous work and deserve safe working conditions. It is the responsibility of local officials and employers to enforce safety requirements and ensure safe behavior on docks in order to prevent future injuries and fatalities.

The Young Firm has experience representing maritime workers, deckhands, longshoremen, tug boat and barge workers. We are experts on maritime law and Jones Act Safety Rules. If you have been injured because of employer negligence or safety violations, contact the attorneys at the New Orleans office of The Young Firm to discuss your case.
- 41 - 50
Maritime Administration Warns of Likely Increase in Piracy
Sep 25, 2009
The Maritime Advisory recently advised mariners and ship operators that they expect to see piracy increase off the Horn of Africa and in the Indian Ocean now that monsoon season is over. They are urging mariners to take defensive measures and not to surrender at the first sign of threat.

It is advised that vessels steer clear of routes where attacks have previously taken place. They suggest that ships traveling through high threat areas move at maximally sustainable speed and to “demonstrate a willingness to defend themselves.”

The recent advisory gave instructions on how to check in with authorities and how to request escort service in a convoy.

Every year approximately 350 incidences of piracy are reported worldwide. The concentration of piracy is highest around the Horn of Africa and in the North Indian Ocean.

Piracy is only one of the many risks that face mariners. The Department of Transportation’s Marine Administration routinely issues advisories to warn of possible hazards and to advise ships about the steps they can take to avert danger.

Advisories can be found on the Maritime Administration’s website.
- 42 - 50
Congressional Representative, State Senator, and three others injured in serious boating accident
Aug 31, 2009
Five people including a Congressman and a State Senator were seriously injured in a boating accident when the 22-foot boat they were in ran aground on a rocky shoreline at Flathead Lake in Montana. Law enforcement officials are investigating the crash to determine if alcohol, drugs, or excess speed were contributing factors.

The extent of the five victims’ injuries required that they all be transported quickly to Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Two victims were taken by helicopter and two were taken by ambulance.

Representative Denny Rehberg (R-Montana) broke his left ankle and received a large bump on his head in the crash. State Senate Majority Whip Greg Barkus was also injured and required hospitalization, as did his wife and two of his aides.

All of the victims are in stable condition according to a medical center spokesperson. No information on when they will be released.

The boating accident is being investigated jointly by the Montana Highway Patrol and the Flathead County Sherriff’s office.
- 43 - 50
Owner of boat arrested and charged after fatal boating accident
Aug 31, 2009
A man accused of killing two people in a boating accident has been arrested and charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. The man, Ronald Stevens, was the driver and the owner of the boat that was involved in the accident.

Stevens’ boat was carrying eight adults and four children – all from Boise, Idaho – when it hit rocks, capsized, and sank in Payette Lake. Two people, a 61 year old woman named Linda Catlin and her 41 year old son Shane Catlin were killed when the boat sank.

The coroner in the case stated that Linda Catlin died of hypothermia due to the cold lake temperatures and her son Shane drowned. A one-year old child who was on the boat when it sank had to be taken to the hospital by helicopter to be treated for hypothermia.

Stevens’ blood is being tested for alcohol to determine if it was a factor in the crash. None of the people on the boat were wearing a life jacket when the accident happened, and they had to wait two hours to be rescued.

The accident victims who survived either swam to safety on a nearby island or clung to the wreckage of the boat until help arrived.
- 44 - 50
Four rescued after Hudson River cargo ship crashes into speedboat
Aug 25, 2009
A cargo ship traveling on the Hudson River after midnight with no lights slammed into a speedboat, crushing the boat and then leaving the scene of the accident.

Taking a page right from a Hollywood script, the speedboat passengers and captain were rescued by Hollywood director Doug Liman and producer Avram Ludwig. Liman and Ludwig were out on their sailboat when the accident happened, and witnessed the crash.

Witnesses estimate that the cargo ship was 250 feet long and 50 feet long, and it easily damaged the 42 foot long speedboat.

The captain of the speedboat, Daniel Rechelbacher, was rescued from the Hudson river as he clung to his capsizing vessel. three of his friends were also rescued. Rechelbacher initially refused to leave what was left of his speedboat until police and fire crews arrived.

The four rescued people were taken to St. Vincent’s hospital and were treated for minor injuries. Rechelbacher was stunned that the cargo ship did not see his speedboat, which was white and illuminated and should have been clearly visible.

The Coast Guard has so far neither confirmed nor denied that a crash took place, and were instead investigating a “possible collision” between two vessels.
- 45 - 50
Coast Guard warning that hurricane Bill threatens mariners
Aug 20, 2009
Hurricane Bill is approaching the Atlantic Coast, posing a threat to mariners along the east coast. To warn boaters of the potential dangers from hurricane storms, the United States Coast Guard is sending an airborne team along the coastline.

Powerful hurricane Bill has been downgraded from a Category 4 storm to a Category 3 storm. Despite the downgrade, the Coast Guard believes that powerful hurricane winds could cause strong swells and dangerous winds for east coast mariners. Top winds in a Category 3 storm can reach 135 miles per hour.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service have predicted 5-foot waves today, leading to six to eight foot waves over the weekend. Hurricane Bill is also expected to cause more rip currents along east coast beaches, endangering swimmers and summer vacationers.

According to meteorologists with the National Weather Service, daily computer models have predicted Hurricane Bill to churn 5-foot waves by Thursday, with powerful 6- to 8-foot waves through the weekend. Bill was maintaining a top wind speed of 135 mph Wednesday, hours after it became a Category 4 storm, and forecasters said it could get stronger

A Coast Guard warning mission is planned to depart from Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The Coast Guard team will broadcast warning messages to mariners from aboard an HC-130J aircraft.
- 46 - 50
Carping about dangers of new electric barrier in shipping canal
Aug 20, 2009
The alarming spread of invasive Asian carp up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers has the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers working to improve a new electric barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal near Romeoville.

The Asian carp were originally imported as a way to naturally clean commercial catfish ponds in the south, but were unintentionally introduced to the Mississippi River when some ponds flooded. The carp are considered invasive because they grow to a very large size (up to 4 feet long and 100 pounds) and consume food that native fish depend on to survive.

Officials and researchers worry that if the carp reach Lake Michigan the sports-fishing industry on all of the Great Lakes could be seriously compromised, leading to billion dollar losses.

However, the new electric barrier has some concerned for waterway safety. When operating at full output, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worries that the barrier could emit sparks, endangering barge workers traveling with explosive cargo like gasoline.

Due to concerns the barrier has only been operating at 25 percent capacity, and may be raised to fifty percent capacity over concerns that the Asian carp are getting close and won’t be stopped by a weak electric current. Barge operators are concerned that even 50 percent of the barrier’s total power output won’t be safe for their cargo and crews.
- 47 - 50
U.S. economic woes hit barge maker
Jul 27, 2009
The Jeffboat division of American Commercial Lines (ACL) has decided to cut its workforce due to depressed demand for their products. Jeffboat is the barge manufacturing division of ACL.

Jeffboat claims that diminished demand for the barge products they manufacture necessitates a 10 percent cut in both salaried and hourly workers. Soft barge demand was cited by ACL as a primary contributor to their unimpressive second quarter financial results.

With profits down nearly half from a year ago, ACL – like many companies – is looking for ways to save money. With about 3,400 people employed at ACL, a 10 percent reduction could mean 340 jobs will be lost in the barge division.

ACL stated that they expect 1,000 employees to remain at Jeffboat after the downsizing is complete. Some workers can expect voluntary severance packages while others will be laid off with no severance.

ACL hopes that the downsizing will better position the company to ride out the economic downturn and return to profitability more quickly once the recession eases. ACL is not the only maritime product company to see profits slide during the recession.
- 48 - 50
Coast Guard finishing investigation into Mississippi River oil spill
Jul 22, 2009
A collision between an oil barge and a ship on the Mississippi River that resulted in a 280,000 gallon fuel oil spill and shut down the waterway for a week was the subject of a recently completed Coast Guard investigation.

The oil barge was being pushed by the ‘Mel Oliver’ towboat at the time of the collision. According to testimony by a variety of witnesses the master-licensed pilot who should have been at the helm of the towboat had abandoned the vessel several days before the accident, leaving an apprentice mate in charge.

The apprentice’s license prohibited him from piloting the towboat without a superior’s supervision, however no superior was present when the accident happened. According to employee testimony the towing company made a habit of allowing low-level mariners to stand in for fully licensed pilots, a violation of the apprentice licensing rules.

The Coast Guard’s investigating officer Melissa Harper will forward her final report to Washington when it is complete, however it could be two months or more before results of Harper’s investigation is made public.

According to experts, fallout from the report could include major changes for the maritime industry.
- 49 - 50

Jones Act Law

Louisiana tugboat company charged with breaking maritime safety laws
Jul 06, 2010
The towboat company that owns a vessel that was involved in the 2008 crash with a tanker that caused a major oil spill on the Mississippi River has been charged with operating vessels with unqualified and overworked captains.

On July 23, 2008, the tow boat Mel Oliver crashed into the tanker Tintomara. The collision caused 238,000 gallons of oil to be spilled into the Mississippi River. The river was closed for six days. A Coast Guard investigation found that a sleep deprived apprentice mate was at the helm without a captain by his side.

The company is charged with breaking maritime safety and environmental laws for creating hazardous conditions by operating a fleet of tugboats and barges with unqualified and overworked maritime workers at the helm, often with no captain onboard. One of the company’s owners is charged with obstruction of justice for deleting payroll records needed in the Coast Guard investigation.

When companies take short cuts to save money, they put workers at risk. If you are an offshore worker and have been injured because of a lack of training, lack of proper equipment, overwork, or inadequate supervision, you may have a Jones Act case. To learn more, call the New Orleans maritime attorneys at The Young Firm.
- 50 - 50