MARITIME LAWYER NEWS

Archive for the ‘Mississippi Maritime News’ Category

WASHINGTON – In a letter to federal regulators on Friday, July 15, BP announced that they have adopted new safety standards at drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico.

In the letter, BP told regulators that the standards exceed existing federal requirements and demonstrate the company’s commitment to preventing a repeat of the Deepwater Horizon disaster which occurred over a year ago 50 miles off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico. ... Read Full Story

NEW ORLEANS, La —  BP Oil Company filed a 29 page document with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility on Friday, July 8, arguing that most Gulf Oil Spill victims should not receive anymore payouts for future losses.

The oil company’s argument is that the hardest-hit areas are recovering and the economy is growing. ... Read Full Story

ST. LOUIS, MO – A barge accident occurred on Friday, July 1, which caused the Eads Bridge to be shut down temporarily.

The bridge was shut down shortly after two a.m. and reopened around 4:40 a.m., after investigators said it was safe. ... Read Full Story

JEFFERSON, La. – A maritime accident took place Tuesday morning , June 21, when a barge worker employed by Zito Fleeting fell from a barge into the Mississippi River.

Harbor police said that Larry Hartford, 52, was working on a barge when he fell into the Mississippi River. Hartford’s co-workers told police the man disappeared after strong winds and heavy rain swept through the area Tuesday morning. ... Read Full Story

PENSACOLA, FL – Wade Jeffrey, a University of West Florida (UWF) biologist with the Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, presented crucial research to an oil task force that convened in Pensacola Florida. The findings found that the chemical sprayed in the Gulf to break up the BP oil spill may not have been effective and could be damaging the ecosystem more than the oil alone.

BP dumped almost 2 million gallons of a chemical dispersant called Corexit to clean up the Gulf oil spill which saw more than 172 million gallons after the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Wade told the task force that when mixed with oil, Corexit is  a chemical that is toxic to both phytoplankton and bacteria which are crucial elements in the Gulf of Mexico’s fragile food chain. ... Read Full Story

GULFPORT, MS – On May 19, 2011 the fishing vessel Sandy Point, owned by Omega Protein was struck broadside and sunk by a 660 foot container ship. Three crewman remain missing.

Container vessel Eurus London after being towed to the West Pier in Gulfport, MS following a collision with the fishing vessel Sandy Point. Photo credit: Tim Isbell/Sun Herald

Gulfport is located in Harrison County, Mississippi in the southern part of the state with a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico. Gulfport is about 70 miles southeast of Hattiesburg and about 13 miles southwest of Biloxi. ... Read Full Story

BATON ROUGE, La. – State agencies in Louisiana continued their flood preparation and response efforts on Wednesday, May 18, 2011.

The rising water is slowly taking over thousands of acres of farmland. The state estimates 18 thousand acres of crops will be lost. ... Read Full Story

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Relatives of oil rig workers who perished in the explosion and fire of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010 are being flown over the site of the disaster one year later.

Transocean, Ltd, the company who owned the ill-fated oil rig has invited up to three members of each family to attend the flyover. A helicopter was used to transport them to the spot where the disaster occurred in the Gulf. It was expected that the helicopter would circle the site a few times. ... Read Full Story

WASHINGTON DC – It is being reported that the claims process is difficult and puzzling for some businesses and workers who have filed claims against the BP $20 billion oil spill fund.

Almost one year after the disaster, some claimants from Alabama and Mississippi have reported that they have still not been paid while others with nearly identical circumstances have. ... Read Full Story

JACKSON, MS – The Mississippi Attorney General, Jim Hood has asked a District Judge to intervene on behalf of claimants in the $20 billion BP Oil Spill fund causing some friction with the fund administrator, Kenneth Feinberg.

BP Oil Spill fund administrator, Kenneth Feinberg

In New Orleans, U.S. District Judge, Carl Barbier has been asked by attorneys general from four states (Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi) to monitor the administration of the BP Oil Spill fund. ... Read Full Story