Port Arthur shipwreck: Board Certified Texas maritime lawyer reports on potential liability

A tanker ship owned and operated by AET collided with two barges being towed by a tug boat a few days ago.  The AET tanker involved was the "EAGLE OTOME."  The collision caused approximately 450,000 gallons of crude to spill in to the Port of Port Arthur and adjoining waterways.  

According to its website, AET is a "leading worldwide petroleum shipping company," which is managed from "regional centres" from London, Houston, Kuala Lumpur, and Gurgoan.  The AET website further indicates the EAGLE OTOME is managed by "AET Shipmanagement," which is a Singapore corporation.

Because a component of what was spilled contained sulfide, a 50 block area of adjoining land was evacuated.

What kind of damage has this caused?  The fact is, at this time we do not know the full extent of the damages.  However, local authorities are reporting the economic impact as long as the channel is closed (for cleanup activities) is about $200,000,000 per day.  Yes, that's per day.  It happened three days ago, so as of today the economic impact is estimated at $600,000,000. 

These damages are related to the environmental clean up activities, the losses caused to area businesses due to this high volume ship channel being closed, and potential injuries to the crew and seamen on the vessels involved as well as potential injuries to people on land who were exposed to sulfide and other noxious substances.

Who should pay for all this?  Initial reports indicated the power on the EAGLE OTOME went out.  However, current reports indicate this was not the case.  Authorities are speaking with the companies and crew members and reviewing radio transmissions to determine what caused the collision. 

The AET website indicates its fleet is "young, technically advanced, and professionally managed."  Well, if that's the case, then its tanker should not have plowed in to other vessels that were in plain sight.  In fact, under maritime law, there are rules that address liability in situations when one vessel collides with another vessel.  The bottom line is that it is quite clear that AET is responsible for the bulk of the damages. 

AET certainly has maritime lawyers working around the clock right now helping it set up how it will try to defend all the lawsuits that will likely be filed.  The Jones Act law will apply to many of these claims.  It will require experienced maritime law lawyers, from Texas, to go up against the army of lawyers this behemoth company will hire to try to defend its actions.  These Texas Jones Act lawyers will need to put their knowledge of maritime law, including the Jones Act, to good use in holding this company liable.

If you have any questions about this collision or maritime laws in general, please contact the Board Certified Houston Jones Act lawyers at Vujasinovic & Beckcom.  Our Texas offshore accident lawyers will answer any questions you may have.