The Coast Guard has sent a letter to state and union officials, demanding that the Washington State Ferry system restore the crew complement on several of their boats for safety reasons. In the 8-page letter, the Coast Guard said they made the decision by analyzing all of the responsibilities each crew must undertake. “(We analyzed)…
Last week Oil giant BP Exploration and Production Inc. settled a series of federal charges related to its conduct in the 2010 DEEPWATER HORIZON disaster, which killed 11 people and caused the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. In addition to pleading guilty to 11 counts of felony manslaughter, one count of felony obstruction of…
Nine people have died and seven remain missing after a fishing boat sank off the coast of the northeastern Chinese seaport of Dalian, maritime authorities said. The boat with 17 people on board sank in the wee hours of Wednesday amid strong waves during an attempt to hook the boat to a larger vessel, the…
The Coast Guard towed the 40-foot fishing vessel JAYDEN RAY and its crew to safety early this morning after she ran aground at LaPush, about 3 miles north of the mouth of the Quillayute River, on the Olympic Peninsula. The Coast Guard received a mayday call from the four-member crew of the JAYDEN RAY at…
March was not a good month for workers on fishing boats. One worker, Andrew “Drew” Fotu, 25, from Seattle was a crew member on the F/V Alaska Juris was struck in the head by a snapped cable on March 1, 2012. The blow to the head was so severe that he immediately began bleeding from…
Admiralty law is steeped in tradition. Many of its principles derive from sources as ancient as the maritime code of the Isle of Rhodes. But in the past two decades, the law of maritime personal injury has been in flux. The pivot point is the U.S. Supreme Court case of Miles v. Apex Marine Corp.,…
Chief Mate William Skye brought suit in Florida against Maersk Lines Limited for excessive dangerous working conditions that inflicted heart damage and subsequently forced him into early retirement. The claim was made that Maersk working conditions violated the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, also known as the STCW. According…
A fisherman was killed, another was injured, and four more are missing after their fishing boat was rammed by an alleged Chinese vessel 160 nautical miles from the Panatag Shoal, in the Philippines. The Philippine fishing boat, “Axl John,” was anchored at a payaw, or artificial fish shelter, when the ramming occurred. On June 20,…
The U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) today announced the availability of an innovative new technology that will enhance safety on the St. Lawrence Seaway by giving mariners real time information on current and projected distances between a vessel’s keel and river bottoms. Known as the Draft Information System (DIS), the new on-board technology…
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Coast Guard says a member of a fishing vessel crew survived after falling overboard without a lifejacket in the frigid waters of Prince William Sound. Coast Guard spokesman David Mosley says the Seward-based PHOENIX reported the crew member missing at 8:51 p.m. Saturday, August 18, 2012, a couple minutes after he…
There was no time that Nick was ever unavailable for me. That’s what I call a friend. That is somebody who cares.
Past Client of BoatLaw Commercial Fisherman, Southeast Alaska
