Could Maritime Law Help the Victims of the F/V Captain Billy Haver Attack?

When it comes to the rights of seamen and fishermen, maritime law and the Jones Act provide many protections. These provisions can even help protect those who are injured by fellow crew members while working over open water. Now, the crew of a fishing vessel and their families may have to use these laws due…

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How Do I Get Licensed to Drive a Recreational Boat in Massachusetts?

New Englanders love to rent and buy boats in order to enjoy their weekends or vacations on the freshwater rivers and lakes. As the weather gets warmer, you and your family might be interested in buying a boat to use near the Boston harbors. It’s important to know the process behind buying a boat and…

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TRAGEDY STRIKES NEW ENGLAND FISHING COMMUNITY

Another tragedy has struck the local New England fishing community with the sinking of the F/V MISTY BLUE which is based in New Bedford but owned and operated by companies from Cape May, New Jersey of Atlantic Cape Fisheries, Inc. and F/V MISTY BLUE LLC.   Currently, the USCG, local agencies and good Samaritans are searching…

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Safety Tips to Prevent and Fight Fishing Boat Fires

One of the last places you want to be when a fire breaks out is confined to a boat. You could become trapped, have to abandon ship or be the victim of an explosion if the fire reaches your vessel’s fuel supply. Therefore, for anyone who spends much time on the water, whether for business…

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What 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…

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Research 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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Can Life Jackets Save Lives?

Can Life Jackets Save Lives? It seems like a ridiculous question to ask, but according to Laurel Anders, Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, “Almost 80 percent of all boating fatalities happen to boaters not wearing a life jacket.” Why Don’t People Wear Life Jackets? Many people don’t wear life jackets because they…

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Lobstermen Rescued After Nine Hours in Raft

Even experienced boaters can have mishaps on the water. All it takes is a dark night, some thick fog and an inconveniently positioned rock or two. Two Maine lobstermen spent one terrifying night adrift in an inflatable life raft after their fishing vessel hit a ledge in thick fog last month and quickly sank. The…

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Men Perish on Boat Rare Suffering Damages

Men Perish on Boat; Rare Suffering Damages Awarded Such Cases Usually Focus on Economic Support By Tony Wright Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly April 5, 2004 Related Articles: March 11, 2004 November 2, 2002 January 10, 2002 January 3, 2002 August 4, 1999 (Families) August 4, 1999 (Raised) July 28, 1999 May 7, 1999 May 6, 1999…

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Court Nixes Cap on Cape Fear Damages

By David Kibbe The Standard-Times Related Articles: April 5, 2004 March 11, 2004 January 10, 2002 January 3, 2002 August 4, 1999 (Families) August 4, 1999 (Raised) July 28, 1999 May 7, 1999 May 6, 1999 BOSTON – A federal appeals court yesterday upheld the U.S. District Court ruling that the Cape Fear was overloaded…

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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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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 Russian tanker that allegedly collided with the vessel.…

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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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Maritime Attorney Wins Million Dollar Verdicts

By Nancy Drucker The Standard-Times 1985 NEW BEDFORD – He is a tough, aggressive lawyer who recently won a $1.7 million award from Hathaway Machinery. The result: The 75-year-old New Bedford company has filed for bankruptcy. Twenty years ago, that same lawyer was just as aggressive.  A company that insured 100 New Bedford fishing boats…

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Salvaged Families Fear Owner Will Put it Back to Sea

By Staff The Standard-Times NEW BEDFORD – Now that the Cape Fear has been raised from the ocean floor, the families of two crewmen who died when the ocean quahogger went down in January fear the vessel will be sent back to sea. The families of Steven Reeves and Paul Martin, the two crewmen who…

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Signs of Wreck Stir Pain and Anguish

Signs Of Wreck Stir Pain, Anguish By Jack Sullivan Boston Globe Nearly one year after the fishing boat Atlantis and its five crew members were swallowed by the sea without a trace, a Boston based marine lawyer says he has found the ill-fated trawler lying on the ocean floor, 300 feet below the surface and…

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Discovery of Fishing Boat Atlantis Wreckage Draws Mixed Response

By Natalie White The Standard-Times NEW BEDFORD – The day before the Atlantis was due in port, Fatima Barros was plagued by apprehension and a sick feeling in her stomach. She had a nightmare and worried it was a negative omen about her parents in Cape Verde or her husband John, who was a cook…

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Suit Seeks $4.5 Million From Owners of Missing New Bedford Boat

By Jack Sullivan Boston Globe A $4.5 million lawsuit, the first of several expected legal actions, was filed in federal court yesterday against the owners of the missing New Bedford fishing vessel Atlantis. The complaint charges the owners of the boat with negligence and claims the boat was not seaworthy. The complaint was filed on…

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Owls Head Seaman Awarded $3.1 Million for Fishing Injuries

By Jeanne Curran Bangor Daily News A seaman from Owls Head who was seriously injured almost two years ago while fishing in the Grand Banks off Newfoundland has been awarded $3.1 million in damages from the owner of the fishing vessel on which he was sailing. Donald A. Williams II, 33, and his family were…

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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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