Maritime Law Glossary

The following glossary contains admiralty and maritime law terms, which are important for understanding the legal, procedural, and technical parts of personal injury and wrongful death cases.

• Admiralty Jurisdiction Extension Act: Extends admiralty law’s reach to injuries on land closely related to waterborne
• Admiralty Law: Legal rules governing maritime activities, not including inland waters or activities.
• Allision: An incident where a moving vessel strikes a stationary object.
• Ammonia Leak Injuries: Harm caused by exposure to ammonia because of leaks, often in refrigeration systems on fishing vessels.
• Arbitration: A procedure in which a dispute is submitted, by agreement of the parties, to one or more arbitrators who make a binding decision on the dispute.
• Assault: An intentional act causing another person to fear imminent bodily harm or offensive contact.
• Automatic Identification System (AIS): An automatic tracking system used on ships and by vessel traffic services for identifying and locating vessels.
• Back Injuries: Damage to the back muscles, spine, or nerves, often from heavy lifting or accidents at sea.
• Bait Chopper Injuries: Injuries from using bait chopping equipment on fishing vessels.
• Barge Accident: Mishaps involving barges that lead to injury, including collisions, grounding, or sinking.
• Blindness and Vision Impairment: Loss or reduction of sight because of maritime accidents or exposure to hazardous substances.
• Boating Accident: Any accident involving a boat that results in damage, injury, or death.
• Broken Bones: Fractures occurring as a result of accidents or falls on ships or docks.
• Burden of Proof: The obligation to prove one’s assertion or the requirement to present evidence to support one’s claim.
• Cargo Handling: The process of loading and unloading cargo from a ship.
• Cargo Operations: Loading, unloading, and securing cargo, where accidents can lead to injuries.
• Cargo Ship Accident: Incidents on cargo ships that cause injury, including collapses of cargo, falls, and slips.
• Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (COGSA): A law regulating the rights and responsibilities between shippers of cargo and ship operators.
• Charter Boat Accident: An accident involving a rented boat used for recreational purposes.
• Chemical Exposure: Harmful contact with chemicals, leading to injuries or illnesses, relevant in maritime operations.
• Collision: An incident where two vessels strike each other while in motion.
• Collision Regulations: International rules governing the avoidance of collisions between vessels at sea.
• Commercial Fishing Accident: Accidents occurring on commercial fishing vessels, often leading to severe injuries or fatalities.
• Comparative Negligence: Reduces the individual’s damages award by the percentage of their fault in causing the injury.
• Conveyor Belt Injuries: Injuries caused by entanglement or contact with conveyor belts used in maritime cargo handling.
• Crab Boat Injuries: Injuries specific to the operation of crab fishing boats, often because of heavy equipment or harsh conditions.
• Crew Member: An individual working on a ship or vessel, contributing to its operation or service.
• Crush Injuries: Injuries resulting from being pressed or squeezed between two heavy objects, common in maritime environments.
• Damages: Money claimed by, or ordered to be paid to, a person as compensation for loss or injury.
• Dangerous Equipment: Equipment on ships or docks that poses a risk of injury if mishandled or defective.
• Death Benefits: Financial compensation paid to the beneficiary of a deceased person, often as part of an insurance policy.
• Death on the High Seas Act: Provides compensation for fatal accidents that occur beyond the country’s territorial waters, typically more than 3 nautical miles from its shoreline.
• Deck Accident: Incidents occurring on the deck of a ship, often involving slips, trips, or equipment.
• Defective Equipment: Equipment that malfunctions because of design or manufacturing flaws, leading to maritime accidents.
• Dinner Boat Accident: Injuries or accidents occurring on boats operated for dining experiences, often involving passengers.
• Disability: A physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities.
• Discovery: The pre-trial process by which parties obtain evidence from the other party via requests for documents, depositions, and interrogatories.
• Dredge Accident: Accidents involving dredging equipment or operations that result in injury.
• Drowning: Fatal respiratory impairment from submersion in liquid, a risk in maritime accidents.
• Dry Dock Accident: Injuries occurring during ship repair or maintenance in a dry dock.

• Economic Damages: Compensation for quantifiable monetary losses, like lost earnings, medical bills, and repair costs.
• Electrical Shock: Injury caused by electric current passing through the body, a risk with shipboard electrical systems.
• Emergency Evacuation: The immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard.
• Emergency Response: Actions taken in response to an emergency situation.
• Engine Room Accident: Injuries from accidents in the engine room of a ship, like burns, explosions, or chemical exposure.
• Evidence: The available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.
• Explosions: Sudden blasts often causing damage or injury, potential hazard on vessels with flammable materials.
• Factory Processing Accident: Injuries in the processing facilities on factory ships, because of machinery or unsafe conditions.
• Factory Trawler Accident: Accidents on factory trawlers, involving the catch processing equipment or operations.
• Fault: Legal responsibility for causing damage or injury, involving blame or negligence.
• Ferry Accident: Incidents involving ferries, like collisions or sinkings, leading to passenger or crew injuries.
• Fire: Uncontrolled burning which causes damage or injury on a vessel.
• Fire and Burn Injuries: Harm caused by fires on vessels, including burns, smoke inhalation, and related injuries.
• Fire Safety: Practices intended to reduce the destruction caused by fire.
• First Aid: Emergency care or treatment given to an ill or injured person before regular medical aid can be obtained.
• Frostbite: Tissue damage from extreme cold, possible during maritime operations in cold environments.
• Gangway Accident: Accidents occurring on or around the gangway, including slips, trips, and falls.
• Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS): An international maritime safety system using technology for emergency communication, safety, and navigation.
• Grounding: An incident where a vessel hits the seabed and becomes stuck.
• Hazard Identification: The process of recognizing that a hazard exists and defining its characteristics.
• Hazardous Materials: Dangerous goods or substances that could pose a risk to health, safety, or property when transported by sea.
• Head Injuries: Damage to the skull, brain, or scalp from impact or accident on board a vessel.
• Hearing Loss: Partial or total inability to hear, a potential consequence of exposure to loud noises on ships.
• Heavy Machinery Accident: Injuries resulting from the operation or failure of heavy equipment on vessels.
• Hull: The main body of a ship or boat.
• Hypothermia: A medical emergency where body temperature drops below normal, common in cold water immersion.

• In Rem Claims Against Vessels: Legal actions directed against the ship itself for liabilities like damage or debt.
• International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW): Imposes qualification standards for officers, masters, and watch workers on merchant ships.
• International Maritime Organization (IMO): United Nations agency responsible for regulating shipping safety and preventing marine and atmospheric pollution.
• International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS): International rules that specify the “rules of the road” or navigation rules to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea to prevent collisions between two or more vessels.
• International Safety Management (ISM) Code: An international standard for the safe management and operation of ships and for pollution prevention.
• Jet Boat Accident: Accidents involving high-speed jet boats, leading to impacts or capsizing.
• Jet Ski Accident: Injuries resulting from collisions or falls from personal watercraft like jet skis.
• Jones Act: U.S. federal law that compensates injured seamen due to employer negligence.
• Jones Act Statute of Limitations: The time limit for seamen to file injury claims under the Jones Act (generally three years).
• Knee Injuries: Damage or strain to knee joints because of slips, falls, or impacts during maritime work.
• Lacerations and Amputations: Cuts and the removal of limbs or digits, possible in accidents involving machinery or equipment.
• Legal Representation: The act of having a lawyer or attorney provide legal advice or services.
• Liability: Legal responsibility for one’s acts or omissions.
• Life Jacket: A flotation device designed to keep a person buoyant in the water.
• Life Raft: An inflatable raft used as a life-saving device in case of an emergency at sea.
• Lifeboat: A small craft aboard a ship designed for emergency escape in the event of a disaster.
• Limitation of Liability Act: U.S. law allowing a shipowner to limit liability to the value of the vessel after a maritime accident.
• Litigation: The process of taking legal action or bringing a lawsuit in court to enforce a particular right.
• Longliner Accident: Injuries on longline fishing vessels, often from handling lines or equipment.
• Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA): Federal law providing compensation to maritime workers injured on navigable waters or adjoining areas.
• Lost Limbs: Limbs or fingers removed because of severe injuries or accidents in maritime settings.
• Lung Disease: Respiratory conditions caused by exposure to harmful substances or environments on ships or docks.
• Maintenance and Cure: Obligation of a vessel owner to provide care and living expenses to injured seamen until recovery.
• Maintenance and Cure Punitive Damages: Additional compensation given over maintenance and cure for an employer’s willful failure to provide these benefits.
• Man Overboard: An emergency situation where a person falls into the water from a vessel.
• Marine Pilot Accident: Accidents involving marine pilots during the navigation and docking of ships.
• Maritime Commerce: The exchange of goods, services, or money across navigable waters, important for international trade.
• Maritime Explosion: Explosions on ships or offshore platforms, often causing severe injuries or fatalities.
• Maritime Injury: Physical harm or damage suffered by an individual because of an accident or incident at sea.
• Maritime Insurance: Insurance covering loss or damage of ships, cargo, terminals, and any transport by which property is transferred.
• Maritime Jurisdiction: Legal authority of courts over maritime cases, involving incidents on navigable waters.
• Maritime Labour Convention (MLC): International labor convention that sets out seafarers’ rights to decent conditions of work.
• Maritime Law: Body of laws governing marine commerce, navigation, salvage, shipping, and insurance.
• Maritime Piracy: Illegal acts of robbery or criminal violence at sea.
• Maritime Salvage: Reward for recovering a ship or cargo from danger at sea.
• Maritime Tort: Wrongful act, injury, or damage done willfully or negligently on navigable waters.
• Maritime Vessel Fires: Fires on ships, posing significant risk to crew, passengers, and cargo.
• MARPOL (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships): International agreement aiming to prevent pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.
• Mediation: A form of alternative dispute resolution involving a neutral third party.
• Medical Expenses: Costs for medical treatment resulting from injuries sustained in maritime accidents.
• Medical Negligence: Substandard medical treatment received by a maritime worker leading to further injury or harm.
• Mesothelioma: Cancer linked to asbestos exposure, often affecting shipyard workers or seafarers.
• Mooring Accident: Accidents occurring during the securing or releasing of a vessel to or from a dock.
• Mooring Line Accident: Injuries caused by snapping or mishandling of mooring lines.
• Motion to Compel: A legal request to force compliance with discovery requests in litigation.
• Motion to Reinstate: A request to restore a case or claim that was previously dismissed or closed.

• Navigable Waters: Waters suitable for commercial navigation, important for determining maritime jurisdiction and law applicability.
• Neck Injuries: Damage to muscles, vertebrae, or nerves in the neck area because of maritime work-related accidents.
• Negligence: Failure to exercise the care that a reasonably wise person would under similar circumstances.
• Negligence of Crew: Crew members’ failure to act with the care expected, leading to injury or damage.
• Non-Economic Damages: Compensation for non-monetary losses, like pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and emotional distress.
• Occupational Diseases: Illnesses contracted as a result of exposure to harmful conditions or substances at work.
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regulations: Standards and regulations by OSHA to ensure workplace health and safety, including maritime industries.
• Offshore Injuries: Injuries occurring on oil rigs, platforms, or other offshore installations.
• Oil Platform Accident: Accidents on oil extraction platforms, often involving equipment malfunctions or explosions.
• Oil Rig Accident: Similar to oil platform accidents, involving the drilling and extraction of oil at sea.
• Oil Spill: Accidental release of petroleum into the ocean or coastal waters.
• Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act: Governs the exploration and development of offshore resources and applies certain U.S. laws to these areas.
• Pain and Suffering: Compensation for physical and emotional distress from injuries suffered in a maritime setting.
• Personal Injury: Harm caused to a person’s body, mind, or emotional well-being.
• Pollution: Release of harmful substances into the marine environment from vessels.
• Port: A location on the coast with facilities for ships to moor and transfer people or cargo.
• Port Collision: Collisions between vessels or between a vessel and stationary structures in ports.
• Port State Control: Inspections of foreign ships in national ports to verify condition and equipment comply with international regulations.
• Propulsion: The mechanism by which a ship is moved through water.
• Public Vessels Act: Allows for injury claims against the U.S. government involving public vessels.
• Punitive Damages: Monetary compensation given to an injured party that goes beyond what is necessary to compensate for losses and is intended to punish the wrongdoer.
• Repetitive Stress Injuries: Damage to muscles, nerves, or tendons because of overuse or repetition, common in manual maritime labor.
• Repetitive Use Injuries: Damage from performing the same motions repeatedly in a maritime job, leading to muscle or joint injury.
• Right to Compensation: Legal entitlement to receive benefits or damages for injuries or losses sustained in maritime employment.
• Risk Assessment: The determination of the quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a concrete situation and a recognized threat.

• Safety Drill: A practice of emergency procedures to be used in case of an emergency.
• Safety Equipment: Devices or tools designed to protect individuals from specific hazards.
• Safety Procedures: Standardized methods or steps taken to ensure safety and prevent accidents in the workplace or other environments.
• Safety Training: Instructional programs focused on teaching safe practices and procedures within a specific environment.
• Search and Rescue (SAR): The search for and provision of aid to people in distress or danger.
• Seaman Status: Legal designation for individuals who spend a significant time working on a vessel in navigation.
• Seaman’s Manslaughter Statute: Federal law penalizing negligence or misconduct leading to a seaman’s death.
• Seaman’s Protection Act: Protects seafarers from retaliation for reporting safety violations or hazards.
• Settlement: An agreement reached between two parties in a legal case before it goes to trial.
• Ship Registration: The process of documenting a ship’s nationality; required for international travel.
• Shipbuilder: A person or company that builds ships.
• Shipowner: Legal organization or individual who owns a ship or vessel.
• Shipyard: A place where ships are built and repaired.
• Shipyard Accident: Injuries occurring in shipyards during the construction, maintenance, or repair of ships.
• Shoulder Injuries: Injuries to the shoulder area from heavy lifting, falls, or other maritime work-related activities.
• Sinking: The act of a vessel going underwater, often because of a breach or damage.
• Slip and Fall: Common accidents on ships or docks leading to injuries.
• SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea): International maritime treaty ensuring ships comply with safety standards in construction, equipment, and operation.
• Spinal Cord Injuries: Severe damage to the spinal cord from accidents or falls in maritime settings, potentially causing paralysis.
• Statute of Limitations: The law that sets the maximum time the parties involved have to initiate legal proceedings from the date of an alleged offense.
• Survival Techniques: Methods and skills necessary to survive in potentially life-threatening situations.
• Third Party Negligence Claims: Lawsuits against non-employer parties whose negligence caused a maritime worker’s injury.
• Toxic Exposure: Contact with harmful chemicals or substances in maritime environments, leading to illness or injury.
• Towing Accident: Incidents involving the towing of a ship that result in damage or injury.
• Tour Boat Accident: Accidents involving boats used for sightseeing, potentially involving passengers and crew.
• Traumatic Brain Injuries: Brain damage from head impacts or penetrating injuries, common in maritime accidents.
• Trial: A formal examination of evidence before a judge, and typically before a jury, in order to decide guilt in a case of criminal or civil proceedings.
• Tugboat Accident: Incidents involving tugboats, including collisions and injuries during towing operations.
• Unseaworthiness: Condition of a vessel not being reasonably fit for its intended purpose, posing risks to crew members.
• Unsafe Working Conditions: Work environments in maritime settings that pose risks of injury or illness.
• Vessel: Any type of watercraft capable of being used for transportation on water.
• Vessel Negligence Claims: Claims against vessel owners for negligence causing injury to maritime workers.
• Vision Loss: Partial or total loss of sight, potentially caused by accidents or exposure to harmful substances.
• Wrongful Death: Legal claim against someone who can be held liable for the death of a maritime worker or passenger.
• Yachting Accident: Accidents occurring on private yachts, including collisions and onboard injuries.