Maritime Law – Pacific Maritime Magazine

To Be Paid in Full – Promptly

Life at sea away from family and friends is not always easy for seamen. For their hard work and sacrifices, seamen are entitled to be paid what is due in full in a timely manner. Federal law so provides. Historically, seamen have been considered in need of special protection by Congress and the courts because of the nature of their employment. Various statutes and regulations have been enacted over the years to provide that protection including laws pertaining to compensation. Indeed, the first statute to give seamen a right to collect their wages was enacted in 1790. Wage Law Basics…

The Dangerous Dance Floor

Who knew a dance floor on a cruise ship could be a dangerous place? Over the years, dance floors on cruise ships have been the sites of many personal injuries. In turn, those injuries gave rise to lawsuits against the cruise lines. Surprisingly, the cruise lines were not always held liable for what happened on the dance floor. Open and Obvious Condition in the Disco Under established federal maritime law, a vessel owner owes only a duty of reasonable care under the circumstances to passengers, not the higher duty of seaworthiness owed by a vessel owner to crewmembers. In Salazar…