People are panicking as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads globally, causing sinking markets, ending travel plans, canceling schools for children, and leaving employers to wonder how to make it more feasible for employees to work from home. Government officials worldwide have intensified their efforts to control the virus. Italy and Saudi Arabia enacted restrictions on travel,…
You’re out at sea, surrounded by pristine water as you hustle around the cruise ship’s freezer. You bend your knees and lift, retrieving the box of frozen crabs to be served to the hundreds of guests drinking and enjoying their vacation. But as you step out, you lose your balance and tumble to the floor….
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee launched the Maritime Blue strategy early last month at the Port of Seattle. The first of its kind in the United States, the strategy aims to make Washington State the leader in the maritime industry by 2050. The Port of Seattle was one of the first coastal areas to support…
Foreign seamen injured on U.S. flagged vessels or vessels operating extensively out of U.S. ports are too often dissuaded from pursuing an action in U.S. courts, when in such cases, the particular foreign seaman is often protected under the Jones Act and U.S. maritime law. The U.S. Supreme Court has articulated a two-prong test to…
The Superior Court of New Jersey in Latter v. 3M Company, No. L-10370-08, 2015 WL 868048 (March 3, 2015) reversed the trial court’s grant of summary judgment against a deceased seaman, Mr. Henry Latter. Mr. Latter died from mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure which Mr. Latter alleged occurred in part while he was…
Hurricane Sandy, which is stirring up waves as large as 32 feet high according to buoy readings, is also giving a wild ride to passengers on at least five cruise ships. Captain Vito Giacalone of Carnival Cruise Lines told ABC News via telephone that the storm is getting intense. “We are navigating through some serious…
Yesterday, the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy claimed the replica of the HMS Bounty, which sank off the coast of North Carolina. Tragically, one crewmember died, and the ship’s captain remains missing. As more details emerge, questions are being raised about the decision to sail into the storm, a choice that some experts believe was…
A couple from Bellingham, Washington, played a pivotal role in the rescue of a man who had been adrift for 26 hours in the icy waters of Alaska. Last month, Tele Aadsen and Joel Brady-Power, both seasoned fishermen, may have saved the life of 19-year-old Ryan Harris, whose boat capsized northwest of Sitka, Alaska. The…
Two influential senators from opposite coasts, each hailing from states with rich maritime traditions, hold the key to passing crucial legislation aimed at overhauling inspections and safety standards for America’s fishing fleets. Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, who chairs the Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and…
Another tragedy has struck the Alaska fishing fleet. The KATMAI, a 93-foot head and gut fishing vessel capsized and sank in the Aleutian Islands early in the morning on Wednesday, October 22. It now appears that only four of the KATMAI’s eleven crewmembers survived. The last communication from the KATMAI was an e-mail reporting incursion…
