Louisiana Maritime Law Blog

Disputes in a specific community or parish on land are often complicated, but it is usually a simple process to figure out which courts can resolve them if no other method works. Things can become less sure, however, when disputes involve territory covered by water.

• What is the type of law that deals with injuries or disputes on the water?

Laws regarding the use and ownership of maritime property and vessels is often referred to as admiralty law. Although the grandiose title may make people think of commanders of sailing ships on the high seas of yore, the term is a reminder of the past in which these officers were assigned to enforcing admiralty law.

• How does admiralty law affect people injured on sea vessels?

Working on an oil rig, or an offshore oil drilling platform, is a tough job. It's dangerous. It's physically demanding. It's remote. If you do get injured, you could be hundreds of miles from a hospital. Workers suffer serious injuries and even die on these rigs every year.

So, why do people do it? Why take those types of risks? Some of the perks include:

• You tend to work for only two-fifths of the year. You get a lot of time off compared to a normal 9-5 job, which may just give you two weeks vacation out of 52 weeks every year.
• You often have to work for 14 days in a row, but then you get the next three weeks (21 days) off. Those 14 days are intense, but having three weeks for every break allows for travel, vacations and time with family.
• The accommodations on an oil rig are better than many people realize. Some have compared them to five-star hotels.
• You do not have to pay for things like travel, laundry, utilities, rent or food while you're on the rig. The company covers these costs in addition to your salary.
• Since you have no costs and you're so far from the mainland, you typically do not spend any of that money for two weeks at a time. This makes it easier to save, if you so desire.

A Celebrity Cruises worker was awarded $10.3 million for spinal injuries he suffered on the job this week in Miami.

According to the court filings in this case, the Croatian man had been working in the pantry of the cruise ship Eclipse back in July 2015. The water vessel then unexpectedly came into some rough waters. This caused the bread trolly that he'd been using to roll, tip over and make contact with his back.

According to OSHA, there is an average of six to thirteen commercial diving fatalities every year. That may not seem like much, but there are only around 10,000 employees in this profession, so the ratio is much higher than it is for other industries.

One of the most common causes for diver deaths comes in the form of differential pressure, better known as Delta P. These can occur in multiple areas underwater, but most end up near a water control structure that creates a vacuum due to a hole or crack in the structure. The high pressure can suck in the diver and trap them until they drown.