Furie Operating Alaska, LLC (“Furie”) has agreed to pay a $10 million civil penalty handed down by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency for violation of the Jones Act. The settlement is the largest Jones Act penalty in the history of the Act. The company focuses on the exploration…
Maritime Injury Law Blog
Coast Guard 13th District Honors Officers
We are pleased to report that the Coast Guard has named Tara Dodd 2016 active-duty enlisted person of the year and Nicole Cimino 2016 reserve enlisted person of the year for the 13th Coast Guard District. Tara Dodd, Petty Officer 1st Class, is an active-duty culinary specialist assigned to the…
Victory for Maritime Workers: Supreme Court of Washington Rules that Injured Fisherman and Seamen May Claim Punitive Damages
On March 9, 2017, in a landmark case handled by Stacey and Jacobsen, PLLC, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled unanimously that punitive damages may be awarded to injured fishermen and seamen when the case involves a general maritime unseaworthiness claim. Where an employer recklessly provides a vessel or equipment…
Highway 520 Crane Breaks Loose
On Wednesday March 1st, a floating crane broke loose from tethers and drifted from the Highway 520 project toward waterfront homes on Lake Washington. According to a Laurelhurst homeowner, the crane was floating north of the job site toward residential docks at about 4 a.m. Emily Durante, a project spokeswoman…
Diesel Fuel Spill on Duwamish River
The US Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology responded to a fuel spill in Seattle on the West Waterway of the Duwamish River after a tug and barge collided. The incident occurred at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, Ecology and the National Response Center were…
Tugboat Samson Mariner Runs Aground
The Coast Guard, working in partnership with several other agencies, continues to respond to the tugboat SAMSON MARINER that ran aground near Rosa Reef in north Tongass Narrows, Alaska. Approximately 1,100 gallons of fuel was spilled before the breach could be patched by Alaska Commercial Divers. The official report by…
Search for F/V DESTINATION in the Bering Sea Suspended
It is with great sadness that we report the suspension of the search for the six missing crew members of the F/V DESTINATION. The vessel is believed to have sunk on Saturday, February 11th in the Bering Sea. Weather at the time was reported as 30-mph winds with five to…
Search Continues for F/V DESTINATION and Six Crew in Bering Sea, Alaska
The search in the Bering Sea continues for the 98’ F/V DESTINATION and six crewmembers, whose emergency beacon broadcast a signal at 7:15 am, February 11 from two miles northwest of St. George, Alaska. The Coast Guard’s Hercules airplane crew arrived at 10:15 am to begin searching, and two helicopters…
Coast Guard Rescues 3 Fishermen at Mouth of Columbia River
The US Coast Guard rescued three commercial fishermen on Sunday morning after their fishing vessel COASTAL REIGN began taking on water. The crew reported that their vessel struck a submerged object as they navigated the mouth of the Columbia River. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia received the captain’s mayday…
Final El Faro Hearing Scheduled
The third and final EL FARO hearing has been scheduled for February 6, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation will focus on crew witnesses, TOTE company officials, Coast Guard officials as well as the contents of EL FARO’S voyage data recorder (VDR). The transcript of…