Sinking of Tremont Highlights Need for Vigilance

The recent sinking of the commercial fishing vessel Tremont calls attention to some key issues mariners need to remain aware of. Tremont apparently collided with a container vessel, MSC Rita. off the coast of Virginia. The Coast Guard and two good Samaritans responded to the 2 a.m. distress call and rescued all crew members before…

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Is Too Much Technology Causing Maritime Accidents?

In a previous blog, we described a boat accident that occurred due to distracted boat operators, one of whom was distracted by paperwork and the other hanging his fishing nets. However, a recent article published by Marine Electronics & Communications describes a very different type of distraction that has possibly caused an increase in maritime…

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What Caused These Two Vessels to Crash in the Gulf Coast?

In 2014, an unusual circumstance occurred that caused a commercial fishing boat and an offshore supply vessel (OSV) to collide. That evening, the 130-foot OSV slammed into a 73-foot shrimping boat and breached the hull, causing the shrimp boat to sink. Thankfully, all of the shrimp boat crew were recovered from the water with minimal…

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Towboat Hits St. Louis Bridge and Causes Tragedy for Worker

A worker who was assigned the job of sandblasting a Mississippi River bridge was killed when a towboat hit the scaffolding he was working from last year. The worker was performing maintenance on the Eads Bridge in St. Louis when the towboat struck. The worker fell and landed on the deck of the boat with…

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Do Hit and Run Boating Accidents Happen?

A little girl was injured in a boating accident when the boat that she was on was crashed into by another vessel, which then promptly fled the area. She was the only injury among seven passengers, three of which were children. The owner of the boat alleges that the other boat was speeding towards them…

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What is Happening with the Kentucky Ferry Bridge Accident?

January 12 has been set as the date to try to settle the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge lawsuit. Three groups are involved in this lawsuit, including BellSouth Telecommunications, Foss Maritime Company and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The lawsuit originated in January 2012 when the ship Delta Mariner crashed into the ferry bridge in Aurora, Kentucky, causing…

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Could Drones Replace Human Captains on Cargo Ships?

Could Drones Replace Human Captains on Cargo Ships? 75 percent of accidents at sea are caused by human error. A European Union-funded research project called MUNIN is hoping to make the seas a whole lot safer by creating autonomous ships that can sail themselves from port to port using drones. Are Drones Safer than Humans?…

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What Happens When Cars Crash on a Ferry?

Unforeseen accidents can happen at any time on a ferry; crews must be prepared for any eventuality. Sometimes, even the best trained crew can only stand by helplessly as a passenger does something no one could have prepared for. Earlier this month, when a driver aboard one of the vessels in the Cape May-Lewes Ferry…

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Starbound Families Settle Civil Suit

Starbound Families Settle Civil Lawsuit With Owner Reach Agreement For Undisclosed Amount By Dexter Van Zile National Fisherman December 2002 Related Articles: September 28, 2002 October 12, 2001 August 25, 2001 August 21, 2001 (The Boston Globe) August 21, 2001 (Boston Herald) August 21, 2001 (Portland Press Herald) August 18, 2001 August 7, 2001 Fishermen…

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Final Settlement Reached in Tanker’s Sinking of Boat

Final Settlement Reached In Tanker’s Sinking Of Boat By Jules Crittenden Boston Herald Related Articles: December 2002 October 12, 2001 August 25, 2001 August 21, 2001 (The Boston Globe) August 21, 2001 (Boston Herald) August 21, 2001 (Portland Press Herald) August 18, 2001 August 7, 2001 The final part of a complex $7.5 million settlement…

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Legal Stage Set for Portland Judge to Decide Fault in Starbound

Legal Stage Is Set For Portland Judge To Decide Fault In Starbound Sinking The Tanker Virgo’s Owners File Documents Blaming The Fishing Boat For A Collision That Killed Three Of Its Crew By John Richardson Portland Press Herald Related Articles: December 2002 September 28, 2002 August 25, 2001 August 21, 2001 (The Boston Globe) August…

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Family of Starbound Victim Files Second Lawsuit

Family Of Starbound Victim Files Second Lawsuit, This One In U.S. With the ship suspected in the sinking berthed in Canada, the Sanfilippos argue the case belongs in a New England court. By Bart Jansen Portland Press Herald WASHINGTON – Relatives of a Maine fisherman killed in the sinking of the Starbound filed a second…

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Fisherman’s Widow Files $6 Million Suit

Fisherman‘s Widow Files $6M Suit By Boston Herald Staff Boston Herald The widow of a Maine fisherman killed when the Russian tanker Virgo allegedly struck his boat off Cape Ann sued the ship’s owner for $6 million in federal court in Boston yesterday. Aimee L. Sanfilippo, whose husband James Sanfilippo died Aug. 5 along with…

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Federal Suit Filed Against Suspect Tanker Owners

Federal Suit Filed Against Suspect Tanker’s Owner, Operator Starbound Widow’s US Case Follows Action In Canada By Brian MacQuarrie The Boston Globe The widow of a Maine fisherman who died in the Aug. 5 sinking of the trawler Starbound filed suit yesterday in US District Court in Boston against the owner and operator of the…

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Maine Fisherman’s Widow Files Suit Against Tanker

Maine Fisherman’s Widow Files Suit Against Tanker By Dave Wedge Boston Herald The widow of one of three New England fishermen drowned when a Russian vessel allegedly plowed into and sank their trawler lodged a $6 million wrongful death lawsuit in a Canadian court yesterday. Aimee Lynne Sanfilippo, widow of James Sanfilippo, filed suit in…

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Hit and Run Ship Sought

The Coast Guard Searches For The Large Ship That Collided With A Maine Fishing Boat, Sinking It And Apparently Killing Three Men. By David Hench Portland Press Herald CHRONOLOGY Just before 1 a.m. Sunday, James Sanfilippo, a crewman aboard the fishing boat Starbound, reportedly notices a large ship heading toward the much smaller vessel. He…

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Captain’s Forgery After Sea Tragedy Ends in Payment

Captain’s Forgery After Sea Tragedy Ends in Payment Captain’s Forgery After Sea Tragedy Ends In Payment By Tim Sullivan Gloucester Daily Times November 29, 1977 A tiny, easily-overlooked alteration in a ship’s log has led to a court award of $2.75 million, the largest sum ever paid for injuries and damages in a marine law…

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