Posts by Latti Associates LLC
How 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…
Read MoreCountry Singer Feared Dead Following Boat Accident
As of last week, Craig Strickland, the lead singer of country-rock band Backroad Anthem, was missing following a boating accident on Kaw Lake in Oklahoma. MassLive.com reported that Strickland, 29, and another victim, 22, were duck hunting when their boat capsized during a storm. Officials were able to recover the victim’s body following the incident.…
Read MoreEl Faro Families Seek Closure Through Photos
According to First Coast News, family members of El Faro victims have been allowed to view photos and video taken during the search for the missing vessel. Additionally, it was announced last week that CBS News would air a report on 60 Minutes, going behind the scenes of the El Faro search, showing video from…
Read MoreCoast Guard: Hazardous Containers Off the San Francisco Coast
Professional Mariner reports that the U.S. Coast Guard is urging mariners to use caution around the San Francisco coast, as recovery teams are searching for missing containers from a cargo ship that may be hazardous. According to the news outlet, the containers were lost from a ship in the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, west…
Read MoreWhen is the New Deadline for Filing El Faro Lawsuits?
According to the Florida Times-Union, a court ordered lawsuit deadline for family members of the El Faro disaster has been extended to February 19, 2016. Originally, the court ordered a deadline of December 21. However, it found that this date did not give parties enough time to prepare claims. The new deadline was requested by…
Read MoreAre Cruise Ship Pools Safe?
In July, a 4-year-old boy nearly drowned, suffering critical injuries, following an incident involving a cruise ship pool. The boy was on a family vacation when he was “swept under” a pool aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. It is believed that he was underwater for an estimated five to 10 minutes. The…
Read MoreBaltimore Man Indicted for Fatal Boat Accident
CBS News Baltimore reports that a man has been charged in connection to a boat accident that occurred over the summer that left two women dead. The accident occurred when a recreational boat slammed into a pillar at the Key Bridge. The crash allegedly injured six passengers, in addition to killing the two women aboard.…
Read MoreEl Faro Families Fight Petition for Limitation of Liability
According to First Coast News, the legal battle between the operators of the El Faro, which sank during Hurricane Joaquin this fall, and family members of its victims is heating up. A court imposed deadline was set in Florida for today for family members to file lawsuits. Sadly, all 33 crewmembers who were aboard the…
Read MoreWoman Falls Overboard Cruise Ship During Dance Party
CNN reported that rescue workers were attempting to find a woman off the coast of Cuba last month who went overboard during a cruise ship dance party. The woman allegedly fell from the deck of the Norwegian Pearl, 22 miles off the coast of Cuba. Officials with the cruise line said in a statement that…
Read MoreShark Attack Blamed on Drunken Charter Instructor
Courthouse News Service reports that a filmmaker who was mauled by a shark has filed a lawsuit in San Diego, accusing a charter boat dive instructor of drawing her into being bait by being intoxicated. The lawsuit was in a federal court in November, accusing a dive instructor, as well as Mako Shark Diving and…
Read MoreShould the El Faro Search Continue?
According to the Florida Times-Union, since the search for remains of the El Faro container ship was suspended in November, a crewmember’s wife has asked publicly for another one to begin. The newspaper reports that the Jacksonville woman, whose husband is presumed to have died along with the 33 crewmembers, is preoccupied with resuming a…
Read MoreDid Alcohol Play a Role in Fatal Texas Boat Accident?
Officials have discovered that alcohol was involved in a deadly Lake Austin boat accident in Texas. KXAN-TV reports that a Texas Parks & Wildlife preliminary investigation indicates that alcohol, including partially consumed liquor bottles, were found aboard the boat following the accident, which took place on October 11. The crash killed two people, including a…
Read MoreDredging Accident: What is the Seaman’s Manslaughter Act?
WLOX-TV reports that a Louisiana company has admitted that it did not properly mark a dredge operation near Deer Island, Mississippi, leading to the death of a residential boater. The news outlet reports that C.F. Bean, LLC has pleaded guilty to the statute commonly referred to as the Seaman’s Manslaughter Act. With the plea, the…
Read MoreEl Faro’s Sister Ship Involved in Maritime Incident
According to the Bangor Daily News, the sister ship of the El Faro, which sank near the Bahamas in October during Hurricane Joaquin, drifted for several hours recently after losing power during a voyage. The news outlet reported that the North Star, also owned by TOTE Maritime, lost power on November 24, as it sailed from…
Read MoreWho is Responsible if a Piling Led to My Boating Accident?
After a piling caused a boat accident that left a man injured, he is suing a half dozen oil and gas companies because he claims their negligence led to the wreck. According to The Louisiana Record, in June 2014, the man had taken his skiff out fishing near Four Island Dome, Louisiana when it was…
Read MoreWere the Families of the 33 El Faro Crewmen Offered a Settlement?
Continuing our coverage of the El Faro disaster, TOTE Maritime has made a settlement offer to the families of the 33 El Faro crewmen lost at sea. According to First Coast News, the settlement would provide each of the families with lost wages plus $500,000 each in compensation. While TOTE Maritime is touting this as…
Read MoreHow Did a NJ Dockworker Lose His Hand?
According to NJ.com, a dockworker had his severed in an October accident at the APM Port Elizabeth container terminal. The dockworker, 49, of Paramus, was allegedly attempting to replace a hoist cable on the dock when it became wrapped around his arm and tightened. His hand was then severed from his arm and he was…
Read MoreAmerican Couple Injured in Whale Boat Accident
According to the Chicago Tribune, an Indiana couple was injured when a whale watching boat they were on capsized off the coast of western Canada in October. The newspaper reported that an infectious disease specialist and her husband, the CEO of an investment company, were among the 27 passengers on board the MV Leviathan II…
Read MoreHas the Search for El Faro Data Recorder Been Called Off?
According to National Public Radio, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called off its search for the missing data recorder from the wreckage of the El Faro. The agency said that it used remote operated vehicles with the assistance of the Navy to attempt to find the recorder through the remaining wreckage that has…
Read MoreMissing NJ Barge Worker’s Body Found
According to NJ.com, officials from the U.S. Coast Guard have confirmed that the body of a man recovered near Bayonne is that of a barge worker who fell into the water in Kill Van Kull in October. The worker was performing tasks at the Pier 1 of the International Matex Tank Terminal on October 16…
Read MoreEmployee Loses Legs in Florida Boat Propeller Accident
WTVT-TV reported last week that a Florida worker suffered severe injuries after he fell from a barge in Port Canaveral in the middle of a channel, striking a propeller. The station reported that the accident occurred on November 10, at around 10 p.m., when a man working on a dredge barge fell overboard and struck…
Read MoreHas a Court Imposed an El Faro Lawsuit Deadline?
According to WTLV-TV, a judge in Jacksonville has ordered family members of victims of the El Faro disaster to file lawsuits by December 21 in order to pursue claims. U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger signed the court order recently preventing family members from filing lawsuits outside of the venue and outside of the deadline against…
Read MoreBrain Injury: Man Awarded $21 Million For Cruise Ship Accident
According to KING-TV, a Seattle jury recently awarded an Illinois man $21.5 million after he sued a cruise line over a traumatic brain injury (TBI) accident. KING reported that the accident occurred on a Holland America Line cruise when an automatic sliding door aboard a vessel hit the man. He reportedly was on an eight-month cruise…
Read MoreWhat is Involved in the El Faro Recovery Process?
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been blogging heavily about the El Faro wreck, as it is the worst cargo shipping disaster involving an American-flagged vessel in more than three decades. With this in mind, the Seattle Times recently had a report about the details involved with the El Faro recovery effort that…
Read MoreSearch for El Faro Data Recorder, Bridge Continues
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Navy continued its search last week for pieces of the El Faro cargo ship that went missing during Hurricane Joaquin. Investigators were able to find wreckage of the ship, as a salvage team managed to spot parts of the vessel on the ocean floor at a depth of…
Read MoreNew Jersey Pontoon Accident: What is Christopher’s Law?
NJ.com reports that a bill has been introduced in New Jersey dubbed “Christopher’s Law” that would require pontoon rental businesses to notify customers about the dangers of operating the vessels. According to the website, the law is a tribute to a 10-year-old Christopher D’Amico Jr. who was killed in a June pontoon accident on Lake…
Read MoreDo Cruise Ship Assault Victims Have Legal Rights?
As we reported in this August 2014 blog, cruise ship assaults are often perpetuated by employees and/or other passengers aboard vessels. If you are assaulted on a cruise line, you should be aware that you might have specific legal rights. Depending upon where and when the alleged assault took place, you may be able to…
Read MoreTHE FINDING OF THE EL FARO BY THE UNITED STATES NAVY & THE FILING OF THE PETITION OF LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
This past Friday, as the owners of the El Faro, Sea Star Lines, d/b/a, TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico and Tote Services, Inc., were filing a lawsuit in the Federal Court in Jacksonville, Florida, to limit and possibly, eliminate, their liability in the sinking of the EL FARO and the death of 33 crew members, the…
Read MoreNavy Tug Apache Continues El Faro Search
According to the Navy Times, the search for the missing cargo ship El Faro continued last week as the Navy sent its fleet ocean tug Apache to help investigators. The Apache left Norfolk, Virginia with undersea search systems onboard designed to find the El Faro, which is believed to have sunk. The vessel went missing…
Read MoreFeds Investigating Fatal Pacific Santa Ana Drillship Accident
The Associated Press reports that federal investigators are looking into the death of a worker that occurred on October 20 on a drillship in the Gulf of Mexico. The news source reported that the accident took place about 200 miles south of Lake Charles, La., in an area known as Keathley Canyon block 96. The…
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