What Our Clients Say

Dear Mr. Beckcom:

I never got a chance to say thank you for the wonderful job you did on my daughter's case. She will be graduating in June from High School with cum laude status. She will be attending college at U.T. Austin and majoring in Communications. Thanks to your efforts her college education has been taken care of. Thank you again from both of us.

J. Perez

Houston, Texas
Mr. Beckcom fought diligently on my behalf against my former employer, without a retainer from me.....I was truly grateful to have Mr. Beckcom on my side and would recommend him to anyone without reservation."

A. Worley, Injured Cruise ship employee

New Mexico
I hired Brian Beckcom in 2009 for the injury case I had after I was hurt as a deckhand and within 11 months Brian had settled my case. He did such a fabulous job and I recommend using his firm for your maritime injury case.

J. McKeone, Deckhand

Livingston, Texas
Brian and his staff are courteous and professional, and they work diligently to make sure the client transitions through the process as easily and comfortably as possible.

Your sincere and satisfied client,

Steve T.

Houston, Texas
I was hurt on a boat offshore. Brian and his law firm worked hard on my case. The settlement he got for me will take care of my financial needs for the rest of my life. If you are looking for someone to take your interests at heart Brian and his law firm can give you the attention your case deserves.

Tim M.

Austin, Texas
I hired Brian after I was hurt on an offshore oil platform. I would recommend Brian and his law firm to anyone who needed a good injury lawyer, and especially any offshore worker. . ..

Jackie R

Houston, Texas
There are only a small number of attorneys who could handle such a complex case as mine, and Brian was at the top of the list. His response time is unsurpassed, replying within minutes to my initial enquiry. He has an instinctive understanding of the legal issues, and consummate people skills, an essential attribute in the negotiation phase of any litigation. Thanks to Brian the case was settled favorably within a year.

Steven S.,

Wales, U.K.
Brian, your book was a real eye-opener. If I had read your book sooner, I would have avoided a lot of costly mistakes.

Captain Jim Vickers
I was hurt on an offshore oil rig. I was unable to work or get proper medical care from the company. I was referred to Brian by another law firm because that firm knew Brian specialized in Jones Act cases. Brian settled my case in less than 12 months. The settlement will enable me to take care of my family financially for a long time. I would highly recommend Brian and his firm to any injured worker.

Freddy N.,

Lufkin, Texas

Disclaimer

We designed this website to provide information to consumers, injured people, and their families. Our goal is to level the playing field between consumers and insurance companies and expose the tricks, traps, and techniques they use to cheat injured people out of their legal rights. We also let consumers know about legal news, including verdicts and settlements and other interesting legal information.

But please understand that nothing on this website is meant to provide legal information about your specific case, create an attorney-client relationship, or imply that the results of your legal case will be the same as some other case.

Maritime Injury Blog

Maritime Injuries

7/24/2010
Brian Beckcom
Comments (0)

Does a Ship Remain On-Hire When Held by Pirates?

Though, Captain Jack Sparrow is make believe, real pirates do exist. Piracy remains a serious problem throughout the global maritime community. Piracy is responsible for millions of dollars of losses each year and in many instances result in a loss of life.

There has been considerable debate as to whether a ship is considered on-hire or off-hire during the time it is seized by pirates. Many cargo ships are chartered by companies to transport freight. However, many chartering companies are claiming that they are not responsible for paying for the charter services during the time a ship is under the control of pirates.

In one such instance, the “Saldanha,” a bulk carrier, was in route from Indonesia to Kope, Slovenia, when it was captured by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The incident occurred on February 22, 2009 and the ship was finally released on April 25, 2009.

During that time, the ship was on a New York Produce Exchange charter. However, the charterer refused to pay for the time the ship was under the control of pirates claiming that the ship was off-hire. However, the English High Court ruled in favor of the ship’s owner citing that the ship was on-hire and that charterer is responsible to pay for services during the time the ship was detained.

If you or someone you know has been injured as a maritime worker, you should contact one of our experienced maritime attorneys at the Law Offices of Vujasinovic & Beckcom P.L.L.C. at (713) 224-7800 or (877) 724-7800.

Labels: maritime attorneys New York Produce Exchange charter off-hire on-hire Piracy