Legal matters of maritime concern in Hawaii, Oceania, and beyond.
Congress passed the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. Highlights of specific funds allocated for Hawaii are denoted, here.
Of particular note, Congress authorized the payment of compensation for fishermen displaced by the fishery closure resulting from the creation of the Papahanaumokueakea Marine National Monument. I’ve included the text of this provision for ease of…
I posted earlier about the Supreme Court agreeing to hear a case stemming from the Exxon Valdez oil spill, here. On Monday, Exxon filed a Petitioner’s Brief, here.
At issue is whether general "maritime law" allows for an award of punitive damages. Specifically, 1) whether federal law will hold a shipowner liable for…
In the wake of the Cosco Busan allision with the Oakland Bay Bridge last month, here, Senators Boxer and Feinstein introduced legislation to help prevent further incidents of this type.
Hearings began in the Senate yesterday. The announcement is hereherehere.
Gov. Lingle announced a new plan for much overdue improvements to the state’s harbor system. These harbors are the commercial lifeblood of the state providing 98% of the cargo. The announcement is discussed here.
Photos showing some the infrastructure improvements can be downloaded here. The photos show a wide array of projects in…
My colleague Robert Thomas posted a new Ninth Circuit case here on a matter relating to maritime trade on his blawg, and because it is really a cutting edge issue, here are my two cents.
The case is UFO Chuting of Hawaii v. Smith. The court’s holding that the State of Hawaii can…
Former U.S. Senator Warren Rudman continued his campaign for increased port security funding, here, correctly pointing out that the lifeblood of the nation’s economy is cargo trade through many ports and that vulnerabilities therein must be addressed.
The State of Hawaii recently adopted regulations concerning ballast water in vessels operating in Hawaii waters, here.
