Legal matters of maritime concern in Hawaii, Oceania, and beyond.
News reports that several "Anti-Whalers" from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society were being held on a Japanese whaling vessel near Antarctica after they boarded the vessel.
Representatives of the Japan Institute for Cetacean Research called the act of boarding "piracy". Under Art. 101 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea:…
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that an insurer waived its right to rely upon the defense of unseaworthiness by not issuing a "reservation of rights" letter before making payments on a maritime insurance policy.
In North American Specialty Insurance Company v. Debis Financial Services, Inc., at issue was the sinking of…
The Maritime Administration has issued its notice that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (warning: this is link to site where the Draft EIS is available, it is 27MB) for harbor improvements to Kahului Harbor is available for review and comment.
Comments on this draft must be received by February 28, 2008.
Today, a California appeals court, invoking the court’s power while sitting in equity, upheld a trial court’s refusal to compel the arbitration of an equitable contribution claim. The arbitration would have taken place, pursuant to the insurance contract, in London. The opinion, in the matter of Crowley Maritime Corp. v. Boston Old Colony Ins. Co.…
The Maritime Administration has announced a grant program to assist shipyards with capital improvement projects.
Applications are due on February 25, 2008.
The GAO issued a report on federal efforts to prevent and respond to terrorist attack on vessels carrying oil and liquified natural gas (or to use the report’s term – energy commodity tankers).
This lengthy report identifies shortcomings in prevention and response plans, entrusted largely to the U.S. Coast Guard. The GAO recommended that the…
Nuclear Threat Initiative’s Global Security Newswire reports that Congress is pressing for outside scientific analysis of radiation detectors slated for use at the nation’s ports, posted here.
Per NTI’s report, "The new detectors, called Advanced Spectroscopic Portal monitors (or ASPs), are designed to not only detect radiation but to identify the nature of its…
The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) is coming to Maui and Kauai.
Per the schedule, TWIC enrollment starts Janurary 17 at Kahului and January 25 for Kauai.
Star Bulletin editors have stated that the recent ruling, discussed here, has impacts on the RIMPAC exercises off the coast of Hawaii.
The Coast Guard published its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the security zone for the SBX while it transits in and around Hawaii waters. The deadline for comment is February 6, 2008.
The SBX is permanently deployed to Alaskan waters, but repairs are conducted at Pearl Harbor. As the attached picture shows, it is quite…
