Merchant Marine Act compensation plan for maritime workers

 Merchant Marine Act compensation plan for maritime workers

Merchant Marine Act compensation plan for maritime workers

Maritime Legal Rights, The U.S. Coast Guard responded to nearly 27,100 offshore accidents last year, many of which involved workers in the maritime industry. Thousands of these workers sustain injuries that include heart attacks, head injuries, broken bones, and spinal cord injury. Injured parties may be eligible for compensation to cover hospital bills, ongoing treatment costs, and pain and suffering. Maritime injury claims are often complex, requiring extensive knowledge and background in maritime law.

Areas of Maritime Law, Jones Act:
The Jones Act, AKA the Merchant Marine Act, is a federal statute that protects workers classified as seamen on cargo ships, oil drilling rigs, barges, crew boats, transportation boats and dredges. This law allows injured sailors to obtain compensation from employers for failing to follow regulations for United States vessels.

Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA):
This act provides a compensation plan for maritime workers injured on navigable waters who do not meet the definition of seamen under the Jones Act.

Merchant Marine Act compensation plan for maritime workers

Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA):
This act provides rights for relatives of seamen whose death occurred in international waters. Wives, husbands, parents, and children may maintain a suit for damage in the district courts of the United States.

Possible Injuries:
Maritime injuries that may occur can include infected wounds, head injuries, heart attacks, broken or fractured bones, paralysis, hearing loss, nerve damage, loss of limb, or drowning. If you have sustained any injury in a maritime accident, consult with a lawyer to determine how to proceed.

Common Maritime Jobs:
Maritime laws serve to protect crew members, captains, and other workers who are employed on just about any kind of vessel, including:

• Ships,
• Offshore oil rigs and platforms,
• Barges,
• Tug boats,
• Tankers,
• Riverboats, including gambling vessels,
• Shrimp boats,
• Trawlers,
• Fishing boats,
• Ferries,
• Water taxis,
• All other vessels on the ocean or intra-coastal rivers and canals.

The Maritime Rights Movement arose in the '20s in response to perceived unfair economic policies in Canada that were affecting the economies of the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

The "movement" attempted to address issues relating to interprovincial trade barriers, freight rates on railways, and various other indicators that were believed to be behind an economic decline since the early 20th century & aggravated by World War I.

The "Duncan Commission" of enquiry was established in '26 by Prime Minister MacKenzie King to address the issues raised by the Maritime Rights Movement. It made recommendations to lower tariffs, decrease freight rates, and change other federal policies to help the regional economy, however few of these recommendations were ever implemented as King largely ignored the commission.

Merchant Marine Act compensation plan for maritime workers