Unseaworthiness

Seaman who go to sea on a ship, oil rig or other vessel rely on the owner to provide a seaworthy vessel that will be a safe place to work and live. This reliance is part of the unique nature of a job at sea. To meet that standard, it’s the owner’s legal responsibility to provide the crew with a seaworthy ship. The owner must also ensure the crew is properly trained, the equipment is in good repair and proper safety gear is supplied. If these are not all provided, the ship may be unseaworthy and the crew may be placed at risk of accident and injury.

We recognize how dangerous a job at sea is, and we know that a  serious injury can threaten your livelihood and your ability to provide for your family. So it’s useful to know that the unseaworthiness provisions of maritime law protect your legal rights. If you suffer an injury at sea because of an owner’s failure to provide safe work conditions, training or proper equipment, you may file a legal claim of unseaworthiness against the owner of the ship or vessel.

The lawyers at Parker Waichman Alonso LLP have helped injured maritime workers collect the compensation they need to secure their future -- and we can help you. If you or a loved one has been injured by unsafe or dangerous conditions on an unseaworthy vessel, please contact the experienced maritime law attorneys at Parker Waichman Alonso LLP. We handle maritime law claims from port cities along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, including  New York, Philadelphia, Wilmington DE, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville FL, Fort Lauderdale FL and Miami. Please fill out our online form or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636) for help with your case.

What is seaworthy?

A ship’s owner has the legal duty to maintain a vessel in a seaworthy manner. In addition to ships and boats, seaworthy vessels include barges, helicopters, off-shore oil rigs, oil production platforms, and moored casino boats. Factors that can make a vessel unseaworthy include an untrained crew, faulty boat designs, lack of crew supervision, unsafe equipment or work procedures, and failure to follow recognized safety regulations.

The duty to provide a seaworthy vessel lies with the owner and can’t be delegated. For that reason, a claim of unseaworthiness is always made against the owner of the vessel. Claims of unseaworthiness demand complicated analysis of a vessel’s outfitting and operation. That's why it's important to have an attorney knowledgeable about maritime and admiralty law.  If your claim is proven, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, past and future wages, medical bills, pain and suffering and retraining costs.

Life at sea is a world of its own, and maritime law is a narrow area of the law. The lawyers at Parker Waichman Alonso LLP understand the complexities of maritime and admiralty law and have the expertise to handle unseaworthiness claims at port cities all along the Eastern Seaboard. A lawsuit claiming unseaworthiness must be filed within strict time limits so it’s important to contact a lawyer promptly to protect your legal rights.

You’ve already taken an important initial step by finding YourMaritimeLawyer.com. Now, give us a call at 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636) or fill out our online form, so the maritime lawyers  at Parker Waichman Alonso LLP can put their experience to work for you.