Cruise Ship Accident Law may be a complex area, but it is fascinating and rewarding. These laws deal with a wide range of legal issues, and jurisdiction often depends on whether the accident occurred on land or water.
Personal Injury Attorneys
The most enormous, most complicated, and potentially most lucrative area for cruise ship accident lawyers is the personal injury claim. Every single passenger can potentially be injured in various ways aboard the cruise ship, from food or alcohol poisoning to slipping and falling to intentional torts like battery resulting from a fist fight. These claims are virtually as diverse as those available to litigants for injuries on land.
However, several legal considerations may be triggered when accidents happen on a cruise ship. For example, the ship's legal jurisdiction and expected destination are a couple of matters that will affect the personal injury claim. Did the incident occur in international waters, and if so, which nation's laws will apply?
Environmental Concerns
CSI: AI is starting to change the way companies do business.
AI can help businesses identify areas where they can reduce their impact. For example, AI can help predict customer behavior, which lets companies stock inventory only as needed. This can translate to reduced emissions and a lower impact on the world.
When a large passenger ship such as a commercial cruise ship is involved in an accident, the environmental damage it can cause might be more devastating than typical accidents involving other vehicles. As a result, a wide variety of laws and international agreements are in place specifically geared toward protecting the environment in the event a cruise ship accident occurs.
When deciding which venues and governing laws to apply to a contract, businesses need to determine which venue will have the most substantial venue and governing law clauses, especially their choice of federal venue.
Shipboard accidents present several unique legal issues. Unlike other kinds of personal injury claims, there is often a complex set of laws that govern the accident. This is because accident-related disputes may implicate the laws of many jurisdictions. For example, there may be questions about which national and maritime laws apply and even which international laws apply.
Many cruise ship passengers are already cruising on Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Symphony of the Seas, which opens to the public on May 31, 2018. The Symphony boasts a 10-story water slide and amped-up onboard activities, making bookings for cruises on some of the most innovative ships in the world a massive success.
Security
Maritime safety is a substantial legal issue for cruise ships and owners alike. Owners are obligated to ensure that the cruise ships comply with all safety laws and regulations, and cruise ship crews are expected to follow those regulations to protect passengers and crew alike.
The Jones Act is a seaman-only law that requires all commercial vessels carrying cargo between U.S. ports to be U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and crewed primarily by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
The Jones Act is a federal statute that provides special remedies to people who work for sea vessels. These remedies are only available to certain types of employees. Please visit our Jones Act page for more information.
Beyond Jones Act, these claims also exist in general maritime law. Generally, these types of claims exist the shipowner's duty to provide a reasonably safe environment aboard the ship.
