Maritime laws govern navigation and shipping

Maritime laws are made by admiralty courts and international conventions; these laws are applied uniformly nationally and internationally to facilitate commerce. Maritime law is commonly referred to as admiralty law, this body of legal rules covers the following areas: shipping, waters, commerce, seamen, navigation, wharves, docks, piers, insurance, maritime liens, canals, recreation and piracy.

Congress regulates admiralty partly through the commerce clause. American admiralty law now applies to all waters within the United States that are used for interstate or foreign commerce. A ship's flag will dictate the source of law. For example, a ship flying the American flag in the Persian Gulf is bound by American admiralty law; the same is true for criminal law governing a ship's crew. The ship must be flying the flag in circumstances where there are more than insubstantial contact between the ship and it's flag.


Maritime lawyers are experienced with accidents and other problems that occur at sea. A maritime lawyer will protect the legal rights of individuals in many different situations. Seek a maritime lawyer if you are a passenger on a commercial or recreational vessel and suffered an accident. A seaman, dock worker or shipbuilder who suffered an injury or illness on the job is best represented by an attorney specializing in Maritime law. If you owned or operated a vessel that was in an accident, if an accident happened on a vessel you owned or operated, or if you are a dependent of a seaman killed on the job; you will want to consult with a Maritime lawyer as soon as possible.

A marine lawyer is the right choice for warranty and vessel defect claims, new vessel construction agreements, and crew disputes. The lack of cooperation from manufacturers, dealers and brokers for problems that are covered by the warranty, and subsequently discovered latent defects are best resolved by marine lawyers. Vessels cost millions of dollars, therefore it is necessary that you negotiate the vessel construction agreement carefully to ensure the protection of your interest completely. There are a number of terms and conditions that must be fully understood in the Vessel Construction Agreement. Issues like, whether the vessel will be built in the United States or another country, the class of the vessel, where the vessel will be flagged and more. A marine lawyer will address these details, anticipate and include protection language for possible contingencies and pitfalls that may arise. Yacht owners are likely to have captains, deckhands, stewardess/stewards, engineers and other employees that operate and maintain the Yacht. Marine lawyers help in the resolution of inevitable crew disputes. They can also help to avoid these disputes with well drafted employment agreements.

The Maritime Law Association of the United States is an excellent resource for issues that relate to maritime law. This is a professional organization dedicated to improving maritime law, this association stands ready to help anyone with an interest the area of maritime law.

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