Archive for 2016
How Maritime Workers Can Avoid Fatigue
The GCaptain publication makes a very apt observation that shipping culture often equates hard work with fewer hours of sleep. However, studies have shown that who is awake for 17 hours straight can be comparable to a person with a .05 blood alcohol content level. This is especially applicable to fatigued maritime workers. Given all of…
Read MoreCompany That Owns a Vessel Involved in the Hudson River Tugboat Accident Filed for Limitation of Liability
In a previous blog, we described how three workers lost their lives in a tragic tugboat accident on the Hudson River. The tugboat was pushing a barge across the river when it smashed into a construction barge. According to the report, the crew made communications saying they were too close to the barge, but at…
Read MoreHow Is NOAA Making Commercial Fishing Safer?
A new system being implemented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) may help eliminate many of the potential dangers faced by commercial fishermen. The mortality rate for maritime workers is almost 30 times higher than the national average. The reason for that scary number is believed to be related to the risky behaviors…
Read MoreFisherman Wins $2.6 Million in Case Against Fishing Companies
Being a commercial fisherman can be a demanding, physical job. Fishermen face difficulties that people who work on the land might not even consider. Rough seas, heavy equipment and unpredictable fish can make the job a challenge. However, despite all the unique situations fishermen deal with on a daily basis, faulty equipment should never be…
Read MoreAre Overweight Shipping Containers Safe?
When cargo is loaded onto a container ship, someone on board is charged with figuring out where each container should be placed on the vessel. Cargo placed on container ships presents a particular problem because each container looks similar, so the person in charge of placement must make decisions based on the documented weight of…
Read MoreAre Recreational Boating Fatalities Decreasing?
The U.S. Coast Guard has some good news for summer boaters. According to the 2015 Recreational Boating Statistics report, the number of boating fatalities nationwide is 626, which is the third-lowest number on record. The report goes on to say the number of injuries caused by recreational boating accident injuries have decreased from 2,678 reported…
Read MoreWhy is This Deckhand Suing a Marine Towing Company?
Recently, Latti & Anderson LLP resolved a case against a tug company and its owner where the crew member was on deck, helping feed out the line from the line box when the next thing the crew member heard was a loud pop and he was thrown numerous feet back on the stern on the tug. The crew member sustained…
Read MoreHappy National Maritime Day From the Team at Latti & Anderson LLP
May 22nd marks a very important day for the United States maritime industry. This day is meant to recognize one of the most vital industries. Each year, the maritime industry provides security, transports goods, creates recreational activities and, of course, brings jobs to our country. National Maritime Day is a day to take pause and…
Read MoreCan This New Safety Manual Help Members of the Commercial Fishing Industry?
Last week, the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center hosted Fishing Partnership Support Services and the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership to commemorate a historic publication of a manual dedicated to the fishing community, first responders and families of fishermen. The new safety manual, called “Responding to Emergencies at Sea and to Communities Under Extreme Stress – RESCUES,”…
Read MoreAre Ferry Boats Safe?
In 2003, a 310-foot ferry boat was reaching the end of the 5-mile trip between Manhattan to Staten Island in New York with more than 1,500 passengers on board when it crashed full-speed into a maintenance pier. The concrete platform smashed into the starboard side of the ferry and ripped into the main deck, where…
Read MoreWhy Was This Boater Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison?
A judge sentenced a woman to seven years in prison last month for a boating accident that happened in December of 2013. That day, the boater and her boyfriend were drinking and enjoying the weather when she drove her 18-foot boat into a piling underneath the Old Griffin Road Bridge in Dania Beach, Florida. A surveillance…
Read MoreHow Did This Tugboat Crewmember Lose His Life?
Last month, the friends and loved ones of a 33-year-old tugboat deckhand mourned for his passing after a tragic tugboat accident. They smiled sadly and spoke of how he could light up the room, but they all still wanted answers as to the circumstances of his death. On April 19th, a tugboat on the San…
Read MoreHow Did This 3-Year-Old Die in a Boating Accident?
Last month, a 3-year-old boy was on a fishing trip with his family at Canyon Ferry Lake in Montana. He was playing on a cement boat launch that had an extended dock, which is usually pulled in the water. However, the water levels were particularly low, so the boat launch had been stored to the…
Read MoreThe U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Man in an Inflatable Bubble—Again!
The U.S. Coast Guard had an interesting run-in in 2014 with a man running in an inflatable bubble just off the coast of Miami, Florida. The vessel, which the Coast Guard has named a “HydroPod,” resembles more of a hamster wheel with a transparent plastic bubble in the middle and is made to run on…
Read MoreWhy is This Tugboat Worker Suing Tappan Zee Constructors?
The Tappan Zee bridge has been under construction and has caused several accidents this year. In a previous blog, we covered the tragic sinking of a tugboat that cost three crewmembers their lives when the tug smashed into a construction barge. Now, the bridge has claimed another victim. A tugboat worker was ordered onto one…
Read MoreWhy are Passengers Calling Royal Caribbean a Nightmare Cruise Line?
Last month, a cruise ship passenger from Texas fell 100 feet into the water from a Royal Caribbean cruise line. After an exhaustive effort covering more than 2,500 miles, the Coast Guard called off the search and explained the fall would have likely killed the passenger or stunned him, which means he would have drowned.…
Read MoreHow Did This Worker Sustain Amputation Injuries While Channel Dredging?
Last year, a worker was channel dredging at Port Canaveral in Cape Canaveral, Florida when he very suddenly sustained serious injuries. Dredging is a necessity at harbors and ports around the world. Without dredging, sediments that wash downstream will eventually fill the port, which is why dredging is a 24-hour process at Port Canaveral. Crewmembers…
Read MoreBe Our Guest to the New Bedford Commercial Marine Expo
On April 27th through the 28th, Latti & Anderson LLP will be attending the Commercial Marine Expo (CME) in New Bedford, Massachusetts and we would like you to join! You can pay $20 at the door upon arrival. However, if you contact our office at (800) 392-6072 or contact us online, we can send you…
Read MoreIs 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…
Read MoreHow is Massachusetts Preparing Fishermen for Emergencies?
When commercial fishermen are out at sea, they only have their crew and experience to rely upon in an emergent situation. In these cases, good instincts and prior practice can turn the tides on potentially dangerous situations. That’s why Fishing Partnership Support Services was founded in Massachusetts, where New England has some of the most dangerous waters in the country.…
Read MoreWhat is the Most Common Cause of Accident for Crab Fishermen?
Commercial crab fishing has a bad reputation for being one of the most dangerous industries, especially the Dungeness crab fishing industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, 80 out of every 100,000 crab fishermen die while commercial crab fishing. However, a recent article by the Half Moon Bay Review says that any injuries and…
Read MoreWhat Caused the Deepwater Horizon Accident?
You may have stumbled across the trailer of a movie titled Deepwater Horizon, starring Mark Wahlberg. The trailer begins with a child who describes her father’s job working on an oil rig that later undergoes a terrible disaster. Then, the text “Based on a true story” appears. Deepwater Horizon is based on the true events…
Read MoreWhat are the Three Factors that Cause 80 Percent of Deaths at Sea?
Here’s the good news. The overall number of commercial fishing fatalities has declined by 34 percent during the time between 2000 and 2014. So, what’s the bad news? Well, fishermen are still dying at sea. In 2014 alone, 29 fishermen died while working at sea. Granted, this is a huge decrease compared to the 42…
Read MoreWhat 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…
Read MoreHow Did These Boaters Die on an Alabama Lake?
Last year, two passengers on a pontoon boat lost their lives when they were struck by another vessel in the northwest Alabama area. The pontoon boat passengers had been taken out late that night for stargazing when a barge being pushed by towboats was heading downstream. The pontoon boat stalled and the barge smashed into…
Read MoreWorker Loses His Life in New Jersey Tugboat Accident
Last week, an 84-foot-long tugboat crashed into a construction barge near the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York. The 13 crewmembers of the construction barge were not injured, but unfortunately, three of the crewmembers did not survive the tugboat accident. Three tugboats were pushing a separate barge across the Hudson River from Albany to New…
Read MoreBoater Loses His Life When He Collides With a Ferry
The Quebec River near Laval is often occupied by a 48-foot cable ferry that uses the current to navigate across the river. Last year, a pleasure craft caused a boating accident when it crashed into this ferry, and a young man lost his life and several other passengers sustained injuries. According to the report, there…
Read MoreHow Did 15 Passengers Get Injured On a North Carolina Boat?
When 159 passengers boarded a party boat in North Carolina, they were expecting a great night. Thirty minutes after the boat departed, however, many were shaken and 15 ended up sustaining injuries when the vessel slammed into a pier. A Coast Guard investigation showed that the steering pump failed, which caused the 120-foot boat to…
Read MoreTowboat 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…
Read MoreHow Did This Mississippi River Towboat Lose Control?
Late last year, a mariner who worked on a Mississippi River towboat lost his life when the boat capsized and sank during a spell of unusually high water and fast current near St. Louis. The Coast Guard was unable to recover the worker’s body for a month. The towboat was getting ready to move barges…
Read MoreNew Jersey Tugboat Crewmen Tragedy Occurs at an Oil Depot
Last October, a crewmember of a tugboat fell from a barge ladder and into the water at an oil depot in New Jersey. The 55-year-old’s body was recovered the following day by police divers. The Coast Guard is still investigating to determine if the death was caused by negligence. So far, the investigation has shown…
Read MoreThis Female Fisherman is Trying to Bring Women in the Commercial Fishing Industry Together
In 2013, the captain of a commercial lobster boat started a Facebook group. And while that in and of itself is not unusual, the fact that this captain is a woman is. The name of the Facebook group is “Chix Who Fish,” and it is a group created with the intention of bringing other women…
Read MoreMustard Gas Exposure On Fishing Boat
New Bedford, Massachusetts – Investigators are pondering if Mustard gas made the crew of the 145-foot ESS Pursuit sick off the coast of Long Island last Sunday. The New Jersey Based clam boat was reported to have pulled up eight military shelves, possibly dating back to the World War I era. Crewmen have begun the process…
Read MoreThe Jones Act Essentials: Answers to the Most Common Questions
The Jones Act is a law governing most maritime matters. It was created in 1920 to explicitly define the rights of injured seamen and their families because they were not covered by workers’ compensation laws. The most common explanation of when the Jones Act is applicable would be when a seaman is injured or dies…
Read MoreCrewmembers Narrowly Escape Death When Tugboat Sinks in Boston Harbor
Last week, the Emily Anne tugboat sustained a breach in the hull and took on water near the Boston Harbor. The boat began to flood and the captain barely had time to put in a distress call to the Coast Guard before the 55-foot tug went under. Luckily, a local harbor pilot and his crew…
Read MoreFormer Deckhand Gives Safety Tips on River Towboats
According to a former deckhand, working on a river towboat is unlike any other offshore experience he’s had. The deckhand insists when you work on a ship, you don’t work a job. Rather, you live your job. Towboat, also called a line boat, are boats that push barges down water ways or rivers. These are…
Read MoreThree Companies Charged for Lives Lost in 2012 Oil Rig Explosion
In November 2012, an oil production platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in an oil spill, the injury of nine workers as well as the death of three workers. Late last year, the three companies responsible for the West Delta 32 platform explosion were finally faced with criminal charges. How Did the West…
Read MoreAre You Working On an Unsafe Tugboat?
Tugboats may be small compared to the loads they carry. However, they are solidly built, powerful and serve one of the most important purposes at a harbor. While tugboats are on average 150 feet long, they can produce up to 3,400 horse power. Larger tugboats can produce more than 27,000 horse power to haul barges…
Read MoreSafety Improvements All Oil Barge Operators Should Make
Due to the fact more oil is produced and shipped out of the U.S. in these past few years, a recent concern was brought forth by the Congressional Research Service last month. The sudden change in how the nation ships oil has left little time to analyze the safety of oil barges and tankers. Currently,…
Read MoreHow Did Alaska Reduce the Number of Commercial Fishermen Deaths to Zero?
This month, the U.S. Coast Guard tallied up the numbers and it turns out Alaska made history. Last year is the first year that not a single commercial fisherman in the state died working at sea. While six commercial fishing boats sunk during this time period, every man on board was rescued. Between 1990 and…
Read MoreEl Faro Update: Family Attorneys Try to Block Limited Liability Motion
Last October, 33 people lost their loves when the cargo ship, El Faro, sank off the coast of the Bahamas during a hurricane. Bangor Daily News called the tragedy the worst cargo shipping disaster since the 1980s. The vessel, owned by TOTE Maritime, had a history of substandard maintenance. As we’ve mentioned in previous blogs,…
Read MoreGloucester Fisherman Dead on the Western Venture
The Boston.com Metro Desk reported that a 51-year-old Gloucester fisherman died late Tuesday after diving beneath a herring boat to untangle a net from its rudder, the city’s assistant harbormaster said. The crewman was working on the 164-foot Western Venture fishing boat about 150 miles from shore when a net that the crew was attempting…
Read MoreSpirit Of Massachusetts Runs Aground
BOSTON — The Coast Guard is investigating how a whale watcher veered off course and ran aground off Deer Island Saturday, forcing an evacuation of tourists on board. The captain radioed a distress call when the ship began taking on water about a mile and a half from shore around 10AM on Saturday. It took…
Read MoreBoat Collision in Maine Claims One Life
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — The Coast Guard and the Maine Marine Patrol are investigating the cause of a boat collision between two fishing vessels in which one person died and one person was rescued offshore of Schoodic Point, Maine, Wednesday, June 30, 2010. Dead is Frank Jordan from the fishing vessel Linda Diane. Jordan’s crewman…
Read MoreThese Boating Tips Could Save a Life
According to a report from the United States Coast Guard, more than 4,000 recreational boating accidents occur every year that kill more than 600 people, which does not include those who disappear. The disappearance of two boys, in particular, brought recent national attention to boating safety from both the public and lawmakers. The US Coast…
Read MoreWhat is Fish Handler’s Disease?
It seems fishermen are not only exposed to the elements, they can be exposed to certain illnesses, such as vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium strain that causes fish handler’s disease. This is what one fisherman became exposed to last year and it nearly cost him his life. It took two hospitals, one infectious disease specialist, 10…
Read MoreThings You Should Know About Working on Superyachts
When a 22-year-old professional yacht cadet who loved sailing signed on to be a superyacht deckhand, he thought he’d found his dream job. Like many superyacht workers, he pictured himself traveling the world while working aboard a beautiful, luxury yacht. He drowned nearly two weeks later. The inquiry that followed ruled the incident was an…
Read MorePrevent Rigging Injuries with These Tips from OSHA
Rigging is an important part of working in a shipyard or on a vessel. Workers who implement rigging use ropes, chains, cables, cranes and other hoisting materials to support their loads. Unfortunately, employers who do not take proper precautions expose riggers to many hazards, causing injuries such as crush accidents, amputations, falls, electric shock or…
Read MoreCarnival Crewmember Killed in Elevator Accident on a Cruise Ship
A Carnival crewmember was tragically killed in an elevator accident on a cruise ship, according to CNN. The incident took place the last Sunday in December aboard the Carnival Ecstasy, which travels through the Caribbean out of Miami. Reportedly, the crewmember was a 66-year-old electrician who was repairing the elevator at the time of the…
Read MoreResearch Finds Dungeness Crab Fishing Injuries Often Go Unreported
The American Association of the Advancement of Science’s EurekAlert! released a report recently concerning a study that found injuries among Dungeness crab fishermen often go unreported. Researchers at the Oregon State University conducted the study, which examined trends within the Dungeness crab fishing industry from 2002-14. After examining injury data, researchers found that there were…
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