Mid-Year Review: Protecting Injured Offshore Workers’ Rights to Financial Compensation

Since we’ve now passed the half-way mark of 2016, we thought now was a good time to take a look back at some of the topics we covered during the first six months of the year. If you or a loved one has been injured while working offshore, use the resources below to learn more about your legal rights, and then contact us for a free consultation with an experienced maritime injury attorney:

1. General Resources for Offshore Workers and Their Families

Each year, we publish numerous general resources that are intended to help injured maritime workers and their loved ones stand up for their legal rights. We are passionate about standing up for offshore workers’ rights, and we want you to feel empowered to fight for the compensation you deserve. Some of our latest general resources include:

• Glossary: Understanding Your Rights After an Offshore Injury
• The Jones Act, Unseaworthiness, and Maintenance and Cure: Three Options for Injured Seamen
• Report: Oil Companies Haven’t Learned Their Lesson
• Jones Act Injury Lawyers: Are “Releases” Of Claims Enforceable?

2. What Makes a Vessel Unseaworthy?

Along with Jones Act negligence, the maritime doctrine of “unseaworthiness” provides an additional source of compensation for many offshore workers who are injured on board vessels in the Gulf of Mexico and other bodies of water around the United States. In January, we provided an overview of what it means for a vessel to be unseaworthy, and in May we published a list of 10 common unseaworthy conditions that will often entitle injured workers to seek just compensation.

3. The Near Future of the Oil and Gas Industry Remains Uncertain

We regularly post updates on developments in the oil and gas industry, as these developments are of the utmost importance to many offshore and other maritime workers in the Houston area and throughout the Gulf region. If the first half of 2016 taught us anything, it is that the industry remains in a state of flux when it comes to both exploration and production.

For example, while some companies are ramping up production (such as ExxonMobil in the Julia Oil Field), others (such as Hornbeck and Maersk) are delaying drilling and laying off rig workers. Yet, experts have continued to forecast a surge in offshore investments, and government analysts predict that the industry will ramp up to record levels of production by 2017.

Importantly, both tough economic times and aggressive drilling present unique risks for workers offshore. In Risks with New Drilling Projects in the Gulf of Mexico, we highlighted some of the dangers workers face when companies seek to ramp up production to meet an increase in demand.

4. The Panama Canal Expansion Opens for Business

Along with the constantly-shifting landscape of the oil and gas industry, the other major story from the first half of 2016 was the opening of the Panama Canal expansion. We have been providing ongoing coverage of the long-awaited opening and what it means for offshore workers:

• What Maritime Workers Need to Know about the Panama Canal Expansion
• Panama Canal Expansion—Houston Maritime Injury Lawyer
• Houston Maritime Injury Lawyers — How Do Canal Locks Work?

Check back regularly more updates on the Panama Canal expansion – plus other new resources for offshore workers and their families – throughout the second half of 2016.

Morrow & Sheppard LLP | Houston Jones Act and Maritime Injury Attorneys

Morrow & Sheppard LLP is a Houston-based personal injury law firm that focuses on representing maritime workers and their families in claims for financial compensation. If you have questions about your legal rights, we encourage you to get in touch. To schedule a free, confidential consultation with an experienced Houston Jones Act lawyer, call (800) 489-2216 or contact us online today.