Learn about recent news in the maritime law industry by reading the following blog articles from
BoatLaw, LLP. Attorney Nick Neidzwski and Doug Williams are experienced in practicing admiralty and maritime law, including representation for Jones Act cases and for those injured at sea. BoatLaw serves the entire Pacific Coast including Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California.

President Biden Signs Act to Restart Alaska Cruises from Seattle, WA

President Joe Biden signed into law the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act early Monday. This act will allow foreign-flagged cruise ships to operate cruises to Alaska in 2021. Elective representatives of the state proposed the act in March after Canada announced its ports would be closed to cruise ships until February 2022. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski…

February 21, 2024

Read more »

Seastreak Ferry Runs Aground in NYC, 125 Passengers On Board

A ferry with 125 people on board ran aground Saturday afternoon in New York City. First responders, including law enforcement officers and the U.S. Coast Guard, rushed to the scene shortly after 4 p.m. According to FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Michael Gala, the vessel carried 118 passengers but thankfully, none were injured. One crew member…

February 21, 2024

Read more »

Coast Guard Educates Commercial & Recreational Fishers on EPIRBs

EPIRB is quite a mouthful as an acronym, but it stands for an extremely important fishing device called an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). The equipment is designed to transmit a distress signal if you find yourself in need of assistance at sea. When the EPIRB is activated, it will immediately send your location…

February 21, 2024

Read more »

Coast Guard Rushes to Save Containership from Engine Fire in CA

Photo Courtesy of GCaptain and the U.S. Coast Guard On May 14th, 2021 the containership NYK Delphinus was traveling from the Fraser River in Canada at the Port of Vancouver to Oakland, California. This monster ship, measuring at 295 meters in length and 32 meters wide, was built in 2007 as a registered Liberian vessel….

February 21, 2024

Read more »

COVID-19 Outbreak at a Trident Plant in Alaska to Cause Three Week Closure

Several workers at a Trident Seafoods’ facility in Akutan, Alaska tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week.  Those infected were evacuated for treatment in Anchorage.  The facility typically employs between 700 and 1,400 people and is a seafood processing hub for pollock, crab, and cod from the Bering Sea.  It operates as a closed campus…

February 21, 2024

Read more »

Los Angeles: Busiest U.S. Port Had Fourth-Best Year In 2020

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Port of Los Angeles, which remains the U.S.’s busiest port, reported the fourth-best year on record in 2020. Specifically, the Port of Los Angeles handled 9.2 million 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs. As reported by the Port’s Executive Director, Gene Seroka, the Port’s container business was the “most erratic” seen…

February 21, 2024

Read more »

NTSB Releases Safer Seas Digest 2019

On December 10, 2020, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board issued a summary report detailing the most important maritime safety lessons learned from marine incidents during the year 2019.  The report is known as the Safer Seas Digest. The Safer Seas Digest 2019 includes lessons learned from 30 different incidents in 2019.  These included allisions,…

February 21, 2024

Read more »

Family of Four Rescued From Alaskan Island on Christmas Day

On Christmas Eve, a 50-year-old mother and her three children (ages 21, 17, and 13) were aboard a 15-foot vessel when it capsized off the west coast of Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska.  At 2300 hours, a friend reported to the United States Coast Guard that the family’s vessel was overdue to return.   Coast Guard…

February 21, 2024

Read more »