Offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico and on the Outer Continental Shelf generally are subject to contractual arrangements that present significant legal issues for the practitioner negotiating or litigating the contracts. This Article presents a discussion of the relevant choice-of-law analysis for these contracts and the substantive law under alternate regimes for indemnification provisions, insurance and “additional insured” provisions, release agreements, consequential damage caps, liquidated damage provisions, and other clauses limiting remedies otherwise available at law.
Classification Societies and Limitation of Liability
Allocation of Marine Risks: An Overview of the Maritime Insurance Package
Those engaged in maritime commerce are exposed to considerable risk in the day-to-day course of their business. Whether it be the owner of a vessel, the cargo on board, or the operator of the terminal at which the vessel calls to load that cargo, risk of loss and risk of liability attaches to all those involved in marine operations. This Article examines in summary fashion the various marine insurance policies and the coverage those policies afford those involved in maritime commerce.
Port Security Inside Out: A Systems Approach to Safeguarding Our Nation's Ports
In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress quickly realized that the porous nature of ports and waterways throughout the United States made them an attractive target for transportation security incidents. While there was a patchwork of regulations that endowed the United States Coast Guard with the authority to address port security, Congress adopted far-reaching legislative measures to bolster existing port security regulations and enhance maritime domain awareness. Both the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 and the SAFE Port Act of 2006 seek to create a comprehensive and layered approach to preventing and responding to events that have the potential to disrupt the flow of waterborne commerce.
Smoother Seas Ahead: The Draft Guidelines as an International Solution to Modern-Day Piracy
Piracy is an increasing problem for commercial trade. As the oceans are used by all and controlled by no one, a regulatory vacuum exists with respect to laws guiding state responses to piratical acts. This Article promotes the Draft Guidelines as the most appropriate response to this international conundrum.
New Horizons: An Analysis of Public Markets Financing of Shipping Ventures and the Impending Waves of Shipping Securities Litigation
Over the past one hundred years, the scope and variety of financial instruments used in the maritime field have evolved profoundly, and markedly so, over the past decade. IPOs, high-yield debt offerings, and SPACs are among some of the financing products shipping companies are relying on today to grow and maintain their businesses. The following traces the historical development of these products and their current usage in the shipping world. This Article then looks at the securities law implications upon the shipping industry, its new investors, and maritime law in general.
Thoughts on Professionalism in the Twenty-First Century
A perceived decline of professionalism in the legal profession has been the subject of much discussion in the academic and legal communities. This Article explores three aspects of professionalism: the evolving definition of professionalism in light of the changing legal profession, the effects of those changes on lawyers and the legal profession, and suggestions for highlighting and heightening professionalism in the future.
Plus CA Change: The Protean World of the Maritime Specialist
Admiralty attorneys traditionally have been excepted from the general ban on lawyers holding themselves out as specialists. That special status imposes a heightened ethical obligation on proctors to ensure that they achieve and maintain the highest levels of competence. This Article addresses the appropriate scope and means of preserving and enhancing competence in a field that comprises an increasing array of intricate and disparate subject matter.