Maritime Injury Lawyer Blog

NEW ORLEANS, LA - Hundreds of lawsuits against British Petroleum Plc (BP) have been consolidated in Federal Court in New Orleans alleging that the company is refusing to accept liability for losses due to the BP oil spill following the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010.

A $20 billion oil spill fund was established following the disaster and is being administered by Ken Feinberg. Hundreds of civil lawsuits have arisen from individuals and businesses living and working along the Gulf Coast who have suffered financial harm as a result of the oil spill.

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WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Government approved on Wednesday, May 11, a Royal Dutch Shell PLC plan to drill for oil in five locations deep under the Gulf of Mexico.

Over objections from environmental groups, the Shell plan is the second deep-water exploration plan approved in the Gulf since the government lifted a moratorium on deep-water drilling last October following the BP oil spill. At least six other plans for deep-water exploration in the Gulf are pending.

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One cruise-ship passenger was killed and another seriously injured in a jet ski accident in the Bahamas on Saturday, according to officials.

Carnival Cruise Lines said on Sunday the crash involved two passengers who had been sailing on the Carnival Sensation ship.

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The U.S. Coast Guard said it was searching early Wednesday for a woman who was reported missing from a cruise ship as it sailed from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to San Diego.

The Celebrity Millennium arrived in San Diego on Tuesday after an overnight cruise from the Mexican resort city, according to Petty Officer Levi Read. The 65-year-old was reported to the Coast Guard as missing early Tuesday afternoon.

A cutter began a search around early Wednesday for the woman. A daytime search by two Coast Guard aircraft yielded "negative" results, Read said. The FBI has joined an investigation into her disappearance.

BP has agreed to pay $25 million to settle charges related to spills from its pipelines in Alaska. It is the largest per barrel penalty levied against an oil company. The size of this penalty seems to indicate that BP can expect similarly substantial penalties for its role in the Gulf Of Mexico oil spill last year.

BP was found responsible for the spill that involved more than 5,000 barrels of oil leaking into the Arctic in March 2006. Later in August that year, the company was involved in a second smaller spill in the area. BP paid more than $20 million in criminal fines and restitution. The company was also ordered to perform repairs on its 1600 miles of pipeline across Alaska. Later, the Department of Transportation held that the company ha was not in compliance of orders to clean and replace miles of pipeline network. In 2009, the federal administration sued BP again.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently released new rules targeting safety for shipyard workers. The agency believes that the rule can help prevent at least 350 shipyard worker injuries every year.

The rule was published in the May 2 Federal Register, and updates several provisions in shipyard safety standards that were established in 1972. The new rules take into consideration changes in industry practices and technology and address hazards that did not exist earlier.

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A fall accident on a non-producing offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Louisiana killed an offshore worker last week.

The man, an employee of Alliance Oilfield Services, was working on a HilCorp. Energy offshore oil and gas platform. The platform was located in 375 feet of water, just about 129 miles off the Louisiana coast. The worker apparently fell through a deck opening, and suffered fatal injuries.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement is expected to investigate the accident.

HOUSTON, TX - Four of the survivors from the explosion, fire and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon in 2010 got together one year after the disaster on April 20, 2011 for an appearance on the CBS Early Show to tell their stories with host, Erica Hill.

After going through a life-threatening experience and barely escaping with their lives, the treatment immediately following gives one the impression that the company was more interested in protecting themselves than the survivors.

Continue reading "Oil Rig Harrowing Tales" »

Seven hundred and forty-one passengers and crewmembers were evacuated from the Ocean Star Pacific following a fire in on of the ship's generators.

The fire, which was reportedly small, knocked out power to the ship while it was sailing off the Mexican coast over the weekend. The 515 passengers and 226 crewmembers were taken by catamaran to the port of Huatulco on Mexico's West Coast.

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BP has filed a lawsuit against Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last year, as well as parts manufacturer Cameron International.  BP is suing these two companies for $40 million over their role in the tragic offshore accident that killed 11 workers.

According to BP, Transocean was partly responsible for the explosion because the company missed several important signs that could have prevented the explosion.  According to BP, Transocean is the responsible party under the Oil Pollution Act, and is therefore liable to address some of the damage that occurred after the explosion.

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - On April 20, 2011, one year after the explosion, fire and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon and subsequent oil spill, BP (British Petroleum) is suing Transocean Ltd, the owner of the oil rig involved in the disaster.

In a separate lawsuit, BP is also suing Cameron International, the maker of the Blowout Preventer (BOP) that failed, citing that the device failed to stop the huge oil spill that followed the explosion.

The loss was staggering. Not only did the vessel sink to the bottom of the ocean, but 11 workers lost their lives and the blowout preventer failed to prevent the the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Continue reading "BP Sues Transocean" »

On the one-year anniversary of the BP well rupture that led to a multimillion-gallon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a bill into law Wednesday to enhance the spill response program in Washington.

The new law, which relies on the Ecology Department to make new rules, should make it easier for crews to respond to oil spills in challenging conditions and help ensure volunteers and fishermen are on hand to help, actions supporters said would fill gaps in Washington's response system that local spills and the BP disaster brought to light.

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The captain of a tugboat involved in a maritime incident in 2008 that led to a massive oil spill in the Mississippi River has been sentenced to three years of probation.

Terry Carver was a captain on the MV Mel Oliver, on July 20th, 2008 he excused himself from duty and traveled to Illinois for some personal reasons. He left the vessel under the care of an under-licensed employee. There were no other licensed employees on the tug.  On July 23rd 2008, at about 1:30 am, the tugboat collided with a 600-foot tanker, Tintomara. The collision resulted in a release of close to 283,000 gallons of fuel into the lower Mississippi River.

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According to a report by the International Maritime Bureau, maritime piracy increased to hit all-time record highs during the first three months of 2011. The report estimated that there were 142 pirate attacks across the globe during the first quarter this year. This increase in attacks could be partly due to a surge in piracy off the coast of Somalia.

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The Coast Guard has completed its search for a crew member who went missing after his tugboat capsized off the California coast earlier this week.

According to the US Coast Guard, it received a distress call from the 43-foot tugboat Richardson's Bay on Saturday.  Coast Guard crews responded to the scene of the accident, and rescued one crew member who was in the water.  The man had suffered from mild hypothermia, and was treated for these injuries.

Continue reading "Crew Missing after Tugboat Capsize" »