New Apps Help Make Working on the Water Safer
A report in Professional Mariner revealed that new smartphone applications are helping make maritime workers jobs easier and safer.
The MarineTraffic app is a smartphone application that allows the user to keep track of the positions of more than 80,000 vessels around the world on an interactive map, including the ability to see arrivals and departures in real time.
MarineTraffic is just one of a number of smartphone apps designed to help maritime workers that has hit the market recently:
- Plan2Nav, an app that allows the user to plan routes, set waypoints, measure the distance for each leg of their journey and check weather forecasts as far as five days out;
- A Samson technical rope guide app, including a detailed rope inspection checklist and splice instructions as well as a feature that allows the user (via rope screenshots that can be compared to proper technique) to make corrections if necessary (re-splicing or retiring the rope);
- A Linguo weather app that also doubles as a multilingual translation app;
- An International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) app that provides seamen with the bona fides of a ship they might be hired on and also allows them to locate the nearest seafarer’s center or the coordinates of the local ITF inspector;
- SeaGuard, developed by Sherwin-Williams, gives the user protective coating recommendations for oil tankers, chemical tankers and offshore support vessels;
- CFR Title 46, an app that allows the user easy access to U.S. maritime statutes.
If I Am Hurt While Working on the Water, Do I Have to Talk to the Insurance Company?
As the maritime trial lawyer in the video above explains, while insurance companies might act as if they are your friend, they are not. Following your injury, the insurance company’s goal is to put the blame on you and give you as little money as possible. For that reason, insurers will try to get you to give a statement, even going so far as to say if you do not, you will be denied maintenance and cure, which is not true.
Despite what the insurance company tells you, you do not have to give them a statement, and it is a good idea that you do not. It is important that you know your rights after suffering a maritime injury. Our qualified and experienced attorneys will explain your rights to you for free in a confidential meeting.
Latti & Anderson LLP – Nationwide Maritime Attorneys