Maritime law firm representing clients around the world.

Have you been injured in a marine accident in International Waters?

1. What law applies to my case?
2. What is my case worth?
3. How do I get medical care?
4. Do I have to see company doctors?
5. Who will pay my wages while I am off work?
6. What happens if I don't heal completely and cannot return to work - will I still have a job?

Find Answers To Your Questions Right Now

Representing Injured Mariners Worldwide

Blog for International Maritime Injury Claims

• Avondale Louisiana seaman files Jones Act lawsuit for injuries off of Nigeria
• Two Cargo Ships Sank In Philippines' Most Dangerous Waters
• American Maritime Officers Union official says American captains would not have fled the ship like Italian master
• How the Italian Costa Concordia disaster affects all vessel masters
• Port Arthur chaplain comments on “criminalization of seafarers” following M/V Costa Concordia disaster
• Three Workers Killed When Fishing Boat Catches Fire Near Antarctica
• Indonesian Tourist Dies After Boat Capsizes
• Employer terminates survivors of pirate attack
• Husband gets suspended sentenced in wife’s jet ski accident in Australia
• Design flaw and poor maintenance faulted in life boat fatality
• United Nations Tackles Pirate Issues Off The Somalia Coast
• Boy tries to save dad after boat capsizes in Canada
• UK safety agency “recommends” FOC ferry vessels self-police fire safety procedures
• Fleet management not learning its lesson from Cosco Busan disaster
• Piracy attacks hit all time high in first half of 2011
• Int’l shipping organization Chair calls for greater facilitation of armed guards
• Seaman swept into winter North Atlantic while securing a line on deck
• Canadian school ship that sank was guilty of woeful safety planning
• IMO marks World Maritime Day
• Ship hijacked after releasing armed security team

Library for International Maritime Injury Claims:

• International maritime attorney Brian Beckcom discusses some of the considerations and questions if you are an Australian citizen who was injured abroad working for a U.S.-based offshore company.   
  Brian Beckcom discusses the complex legal considerations involves when Australian citizens are injured abroad working for U.S.-based offshore companies.
• Piracy victims and PTSD: the untold story   
  The PTSD is so severe that many of these mariners will not go back to sea for a long time, if ever at all.
• Flags of Convenience are modern day slave ships   
  Mariners live in virtual indentured servitude and sail on unsafe ships while management counts its profits and governments look the other way.
• Best Management Practices 4 [PDF]   
  The booklet provides guidance for companies, captains and crews in preparation for passage through High Risk Areas to detect, deter or delay piracy.
• QT Trading, L.P. v. M/V Saga Morus, et al [PDF]   
  The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on whether defendants were liable for property damage under the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act.
• 2nd Safety Bulletin issued from fatality when davit fall wire parts [PDF]   
  A failed proximity switch and lack of equipment testing are cited among the causes of a parted davit fall wire which killed a mariner.
• Safety Bulletin issued following seafarer’s death from davit failure [PDF]   
  The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch has issued a bulletin on davit safety after a seaman plunged 90 feet to his death in a rescue boat disaster.
• Understanding waiver of sovereign immunity in gov’t seizure on the high seas   
  A waiver of sovereign immunity was cited by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals when it recently remanded a lawsuit against the U.S. by Ecuadorian fishermen.
• Tobar v. USA [PDF]   
  The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals remanded a case involving the Coast Guard’s detention of an Ecuadorian fishing boat in international waters.
• World’s shipping companies ignoring basic defense for their crews   
  Less than 40% of commercial vessels are complying with best management practices (BMP) in the high risk Indian Ocean, said the IMO Secretary General.
• SOS anti-piracy campaign missing a key component   
  We are supportive of SOS and take its altruistic spirit at face value. That said, it’s not inconceivable that the exclusion of key elements in the platform may mask a self-serving interest that precludes the platform from being as effective as it should be.
• Will the high seas become terrorism’s newest staging ground?, Part 1   
  The instability in Egypt has provoked fears that the Suez Canal could be shut down for an extended period of time, as it was in 1956-57 and ‘67 to ’75, when the Egyptians imposed a blockade which trapped 14 ships known as The Yellow Fleet.
• Will the high seas become terrorism’s newest staging ground?, Part 2   
  As the theatre of attack spreads farther and farther from the Horn of Africa, it is not inconceivable that the shipping high risk area may spread from as far east as the Malacca Straits to the Suez Canal.
• Numbers don’t lie: seafarers’ risk of piracy is exploding   
  The bad news: a record 1,181 hostages were taken worldwide in 2010, the highest number since records were first taken.
• Seafarers need a modified bill of rights to include piracy defense, Part 1   
  Shipping companies must they be forced to provide crews with the highest levels of anti-piracy protection.
• Seafarers need a modified bill of rights to include piracy defense, Part 2   
  Just as seafaring nations are required to follow SOLAS and MARPOL rules, so, too, must they be forced to provide crews with the highest levels of piracy protection.
• The hypocrisy of leaving seafarers defenseless against pirate attacks   
  There’s a good chance your company will not pay for armed security guards, you will be blamed for being attacked because you didn't follow Best Management Practices, or you will be arrested for declaring your legally registered weapons.
• The Practical Effects of International Piracy upon the Practice of Maritime Law, part 2   
  Three major issues can be extrapolated from the complexities of maritime piracy upon the law. They are: whether the vessel was unseaworthy, a determination of proper venue and the naming of the proper defendants.
• The Practical Effects of International Piracy upon the Practice of Maritime Law, part 1   
  As a firm representing six of those hijacked crewmembers, we find ourselves entering largely unsettled legal waters regarding liability in the context of proper crew defense against maritime crimes. Our clients seek justice against their former employer for failure to adequately protect them against piracy.
• Houston, Texas attorney: How to hire the best lawyer for your international offshore accident Jones Act case.   
  Cases involving international offshore accidents are complicated: you need a maritime and Jones Act lawyer with a track record of successfully handling cases for foreign seamen.

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Frequent Questions for International Maritime Injury Claims:

• What is COGSA?
• I am not a U.S. citizen but was injured while working for a U.S. company.  What are my legal rights?
  

Videos about International Maritime Injury Claims:

• International Maritime Injury Lawyer
• VBAttorneys Handles Cases Everywhere