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OceanGate Titan Submersible: Passengers or Crew?

The intensive 5-day search for closure with regards to what happened to the Titan submersible has come to an end. On June 22, the US Coast Guard confirmed that the vehicle imploded underwater; today, families and friends are grieving the loss of the 5 lives involved. The devastating events surrounding the Titan submersible last week… Read More

Back-to-Back Offshore Medevacs on the West Coast

It was a busy weekend for the U.S. Coast Guard along the West Coast, including two medical evacuations from vessels underway offshore. First, on February 19, 2021, the Coast Guard responded to hails from the 10,000 TEU containership M/V HYUNDAI JUPITER 40 nautical miles to the west of San Luis Obispo, California.  A person aboard… 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… 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,… Read More

New Fire Safety Requirements for Small Passenger Vessels Included in the National Defense Authorization Act (FY2021)

In the wake of the deadly fire aboard D/V CONCEPTION in September 2019, lawmakers have advanced a new fire safety bill for small passenger vessels, the Small Passenger Vessel Safety Act.  The legislation was proposed by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representatives Salud Carbajal and Julia Brownley.  It was rolled into the National Defense Authorization Act… Read More

Captain of D/V CONCEPTION Indicted for Criminal Seaman Manslaughter in 2020

D/V CONCEPTION caught fire and sank off the coast of California in 2019.  The incident killed 34 people.  On December 1, 2020, the captain of the Vessel was indicted on federal manslaughter charges under The Seaman’s Manslaughter Statute, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 1115. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, the captain… Read More

New York City to Take Delivery of First Ollis-Class Staten Island Ferry

M/V STAFF SGT. MICHAEL OLLIS is the first-in-class of three new ferry vessels being built for the Staten Island Ferry system in New York City.  After a series of delays, the vessel is going through its final checks before making her way up the east coast and entering service. The vessel is being built by… Read More

U.S. CDC to Lift Ban on Cruises in U.S. Waters, but Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line Extend Voluntary Suspension Through the End of the Year

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Oct. 30, 2020, that it would soon lift a ban on cruises in U.S. waters.  The agency detailed the requirements that cruise lines must meet in order to resume operations. The initial phase of restarting the cruise industry will require vessel operators to “demonstrate… Read More

Vessel Owner and Management Blamed for Deadly Fire Aboard California Dive Boat

During the Oct. 20, 2020 meeting of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the NTSB determined the probable cause of the Sept., 2019 fire casualty aboard D/V CONCEPTION was the failure of Truth Aquatics, Inc., the owner and operator of the vessel, to provide effective oversight of the boat and crew operations.  Specifically, they failed… Read More

NTSB Meets to Consider Probable Cause of Fatal Dive Boat Fire

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will meet at 1 p.m. (EDT) on October 20, 2020, concerning the fire aboard D/V CONCEPTION off of Santa Cruz, California in 2019.  The fire killed 34 people.  The Board, which consists of five members will vote on the probable cause, make recommendations, and discuss changes to their draft… Read More

  • The Maritime Law Association of The United States
    The Maritime Law Association of the United States (MLA) was founded in 1899. Its formation was prompted by the organization, some three years earlier, of the International Maritime Committee.
  • Washington State Bar Association
    The Washington State Bar Association operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's nearly 40,000 lawyers and other legal professionals.
  • Oregon State Bar
    The Oregon State Bar is a government agency in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulates the legal profession.
  • Alaska Bar Association
    The Alaska Bar Association is a mandatory bar association responsible to the Alaska Supreme Court for the admission and discipline process of attorneys for the State of Alaska.