In 1851, the Limitation of Liability Act was passed in the U.S., which (among other things) applied to oil spills from vessels. Vessel owners were liable for incident-related costs only up to.
Earlier this month, a Panel of the Eleventh Circuit considered two issues of first impression construing contribution and liability of a vessel owner under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 ("OPA").
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says a lack of procedural compliance and complacency were key factors in several marine accident investigations that have concluded so far in 2021.
The NTSB’s Office of Marine Safety is responsible for investigating major marine accidents within the United States and its territories, as well as accidents involving U.S.-flagged vessels worldwide. So far this year it has completed five marine investigations.
In Marine Accident Brief 21/07, the NTSB determined the probable cause of the flooding of the towing vessel Alton St. Amant on May 17, 2020, in Harvey Canal, New Orleans, Louisiana, was the absence of shipyard pre-inspection and monitoring procedures for water transfer, which resulted in potable water tanks overflowing through their open access hatches during an unmonitored transfer.
The NTSB released its report on the 2019 accident in which a tank barge got caught on the gate sill at Whitten Lock, resulting in an oil spill in the lock.