A claim for punitive damages made by a commercial diver based upon the legal theory of unseaworthiness has withstood legal challenge in the United States District Court for Hawaii. The Court found as a matter of law that punitive damages may be sought in cases involving unseaworthiness. The Court based…
Superior Court Judge Richard Eddie has held that a seaman’s wrongful death claim involving claims for punitive damages for unseaworthiness and Jones Act negligence will proceed to trial on the merits. The vessel owner and employer’s motion to dismiss the seaman’s claim for punitive damages was rejected. Following the Supreme…
A crewman suffered a head injury on Tuesday and was airlifted from a fishing vessel 50 miles off the Oregon Coast. The cause of the accident is unknown at this time. Two Coast Guard helicopters responded to the emergency. The crewman was taken to North Bend for treatment. Commercial fishermen…
A crewman working aboard the fishing vessel RONDYS suffered a head injury requiring emergency medical evacuation today. The accident happened 160 miles off shore from Westport. The fishing vessel RONDYS is a 113-foot steel hulled vessel built in 1993; records indicate the vessel is owned by Rondys Tendering LLC of…
One passenger was airlifted to a hospital in Vancouver with possible head injuries after a British Columbia Ferry, Queen of Nanaimo, carrying 207 passengers, rammed a ferry dock on Mayne Island near Victoria. Five other persons were also injured in Tuesday’s accident. The captain of the ferry capable of carrying…
Trident Seafoods has announced the purchase of Icicle Seafoods’ surimi seafood plant in Bellingham, Washington. The sale is scheduled to close on August 16, 2010. Trident is recognized as one of the largest seafood companies in North America. The transaction is part of Trident’s plan to expand its retail presence…
For the past ten years, maritime workers aboard ships and fishing vessels at sea have been able to cheaply stay in contact with their wives, children and girlfriends, and even run a shoreside business, utilizing the ship’s e-mail system. There has never been much privacy on a ship at sea,…
A 61 year old crewman was evacuated from the 88-foot scallop boat EILEEN MARIE on Saturday. The crewman reportedly had been hit on the head by a scallop dredge and was barely responsive. The accident happened 50 miles off the coast of Cape May. The Eileen Marie is home ported…
Tuesday, the 58-foot seiner POLAR STAR ran aground and began taking on water 65 miles west of Kodiak. The crew of the vessel issued a mayday message indicating the crew of five were abandoning ship into the vessel’s seine skiff. The Coast Guard responded to the emergency via helicopter. The…
The 34 foot fishing boat ROSIE MARIE sank 20 miles west of the Columbia River Bar on Tuesday. The sole crewman on the vessel was able to get off a May Day message and activate his EPIRB before abandoning the sinking vessel into a life raft. The Coast Guard sent…