For Thyssenkrupp Materials N.A., Inc. (Thyssenkrupp), Monday, May 7, 2012 started out as just another beautiful spring day. Thyssenkrupp had no idea that its large shipment of steel plate, scheduled to be delivered to the United States from Turkey later that month, was about to be delayed by three months due to no fault of […]

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010 caused unprecedented and catastrophic loss to communities, economies, and the environment in the Gulf of Mexico. Amidst the sea of ensuing litigation that has focused on apportioning liability, one legal battle centered on British Petroleum’s (BP) claim to additional insured coverage under the rig-owner Transocean’s primary- and […]

Recent years have seen rapid advancement in the development and use of unmanned autonomous and semiautonomous vehicle technology, colloquially known as drones. Initial development of the technology was driven largely by military applications, but it is now being used more and more in the civilian world. Not surprisingly, one of the first civilian applications of […]

“Deserve’s got nothin’ to do with it.” The timeless words of Will Munny in Unforgiven resonate when considering the efficacy of imputing liability to the corporate shipowner in the medical malpractice context. Should cruise ship corporations be held liable for the negligence of their onboard medical personnel? And, is there anything inherent about the maritime […]

Under the law of the United States, a shipowner has the right to limit its liability for damages following a marine casualty in accordance with the provisions of the Limitation of Vessel Owner’s Liability Act of *158 1851 (Limitation Act or Act). Generally, the Act permits a vessel owner to limit its liability for any […]

Projections show that Arctic sea ice could experience a complete melt-out by 2020. Accordingly, on May 10, 2013, President Barack Obama released the National Strategy for the Arctic Region, which outlines strategic priorities for the United States to ensure safety and stability in the changing Arctic landscape. Due to consistently receding sea ice in the […]

The United States Supreme Court’s recent decisions in two nonmaritime cases, Daimler AG v. Bauman and the unanimous Walden v. Fiore, have seriously limited a court’s ability to exercise personal jurisdiction over foreign and domestic maritime defendants. The reasons rest in the inherent nature of maritime business as interstate and interstate and international and the […]

Resisting the urge to comment on the first two significant holdings adopted in Kirby, this Article seeks illuminate the legal difficulties surrounding the application of the limited agency doctrine within the perceived boundaries of the Supreme Court’s framework. First, this article discusses the unique commercial relationships among entities involved in intercontinental transportation that have contributed […]

Today, virtually all seaman working for the cruise lines headquartered in the United States are employed under collective bargaining agreements (CBA) with either the Norwegian Seaman’s Union (NSU) or the Federazione Italiana Transporti (ITF). These unions are financed directly by the cruise lines and have often been criticized for not adequately representing the interests of […]