Admiralty Law
Admiralty law is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. It is a body of both domestic law governing maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between private entities which operate vessels on the oceans. It deals with matters including marine commerce, marine navigation, shipping, sailors, and the transportation of passengers and goods by sea. Admiralty law also covers many commercial activities, although land based or occurring wholly on land, that are maritime in character.Admiralty law is distinguished from the Law of the Sea, which is a body of public international law dealing with navigational rights, mineral rights, jurisdiction over coastal waters and international law governing relationships between nations.
Law is comprised of a collection of statues that provide uniform coverage for all waterborne activities taking place in the United States and vessels that fly the American flag. In the past, various admiralty laws overlooked many specific areas such as inland water workers, victims of maritime air disasters, and the people who provide support to ships while in anchorage. Fortunately modern maritime law now encompasses a wider field of occupations, conditions, and accidents.
Maritime law is one of the more complicated fields of law in the United States because it covers such a wide variety of occupations and situations. Seamen, sailors, and dock workers injured on the job have a number of options to collect compensation for their loss of income. Furthermore, understanding which maritime law applies to a specific situation is a confusing and time-consuming process, misunderstood by even the most experienced attorneys.
|
|
|
