Vessel owners and operators have a duty to provide seamen with a reasonably safe environment to work or a seaworthy vessel. When we think of an ‘unseaworthy’ vessel, we may think of old ships that are so broken down they are barely able to stay afloat. However, just...
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Maintenance & Cure
What are your rights to ‘maintenance and cure?’
The idea that injured seamen have a right to 'maintenance and cure' is considered an ancient doctrine. Many seafarers don't fully understand their rights under this provision. Distinct from the benefits that can be claimed under the Jones Act, seamen are entitled to...
Dealing with illnesses and injuries as a seafaring worker
Working at sea comes with its own challenges. No matter whether you work on a cruise liner, oil tanker or fishing vessel, all seafaring workers are united in the challenges that they face.Seafarers are often subject to high-pressure work with little room for error....
What you can do if your maintenance and cure was ended too soon
Many state and federal laws, including workers' compensation coverage, protect workers if they get hurt on the job. What about seamen and others who work in New York's navigable waters, though? If you hold one of these jobs, then you may wonder what types of...
Your rights under the maintenance and cure doctrine!
If you work in the maritime industry, then you probably first heard about the concept of "maintenance and cure" when you were first training for your role. Your trainer probably instructed you that this benefit is much like what worker's compensation coverage is for...
Maintenance and cure should only be ended by a doctor
Maintenance and cure, like so many terms from the long history of seamanship, is exactly what it sounds like. Maintenance is the cost of living while on a ship or in recovery due to injuries suffered on a ship. Cure is the expense of medical treatment and other...
You’re entitled to compensation as an injured seaman
Water vessels and seamen must be insured much like a vehicle and its passengers. There is general liability coverage that covers the ship itself and any tangible property that may be on it. There's also protection and indemnity coverage that vessel operators must...
Seafarers’ injuries require prompt treatment
When you get hurt on a typical job site, the foreman or crew boss might send you off to a local hospital or doctor's office for treatment, maybe a few stitches. But when you get hurt on a seafaring vessel, you're a world away from access to a hospital or doctor's...
How can you cope with work-related depression?
You no doubt chose to go into the maritime industry because of a love of the sea (or perhaps you have developed one after years of working in such an industry). Yet despite your affinity for sea travel, you may experience times where being out on the ocean for...
Identifying common maritime injuries
A career in the maritime industry (whether that be working at sea or in a seaport), brings with it the opportunity for many unique challenges (which is why so many in New York City are likely drawn to it). Yet with the uniqueness of this particular career path also...