Florida Maritime Accident Results in Oil Spillage, No Injuries Reported
A Port of Tampa maritime accident involving a tugboat pulling a barge and a moored tug, resulted in approximately 1,000 gallons of waste oil spilling into the port.
According to reports, the accident occurred when the tugboat, Katherine Ann, was pushing a barge and collided with the tug, Liberty, which was moored at the dock at Causeway Boulevard. The accident led to 1,000 gallons of oil spilling into the water. The Coast Guard is supervising cleanup operations and is conducting an investigation into the collision. 
The company that owns one of the boats, Diversified Environmental Services, is located near the dock and was able to respond to the crisis immediately. The quick response helped prevent damage to marine life and the environment. No injuries were reported in the collision.
For maritime workers and Florida maritime officials, oil spills likely bring back memories of the Tampa Bay oil spill of 1993, in which 300,000 gallons of oil and 33,000 gallons of jet fuel spilled into the water. That oil spill was also the result of a collision and involved three vessels at the entrance of Tampa Bay. One of the vessels was carrying close to 8 million gallons of diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline. Upon colliding, a fire quickly broke out; it took firefighting teams more than 16 hours to control the inferno. No one was injured in the accident, it was, however, responsible for Tampa Bay's largest oil spill to date. The environmental damage from that accident was fairly limited, considering the size of the spill. The fact that just months before the spill, emergency plans for oil spill disasters were put into place helped control the damage.
Maritime collisions can be the result of various factors, including:
- negligence on the part of crew
- failure of port authorities
- weather conditions
In recent years, some high profile maritime collisions have been linked to crew failure. The 2007 Cosco Busan accident with the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge was the result of a medically unfit pilot and lack of communication between he and his captain. Also, the 2008 collision of the of the tugboat, Mel Oliver, and the oil tanker, Tintomara, was ultimately attributed to a captain who abandoned ship a few days before the accident, leaving the tugboat to be piloted by an apprentice mate who was not equipped for the task.
Maritime Accident Claims
Maritime accidents, as the above incidents show, are not always the result of employer errors, but can also be caused by the incompetence, negligence, and failure of crew members. However, even if an accident is caused by a co-worker's negligence, the employer is still responsible for any injuries that result. Injured workers in such cases are eligible for all the benefits promised to them under the Jones Act or other maritime laws. It is important that workers be aware of their rights before they settle for compensation. A maritime attorney can help you do just that.
If you've been injured in a maritime accident, contact a maritime lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free evaluation of your claim.
Coastal Maritime Stevedoring LLC is a stevedoring company based in Jacksonville, Florida; the company provides loading and unloading services for various kinds of cargo, in addition to warehouse and marine terminal management. The company is capable of handling over sized and unusual cargo, including: military cargo, water crafts, locomotives, cranes and construction machinery. Daise was apparently involved in transporting cargo for Coastal Maritime at the time of the accident.