Delta Queen, National Historic Landmark, Refused Exemption from SOLA

The Delta Queen, a steamboat operated by Majestic America Line, will be retired after nearly eighty years of service.  While the “Safety of Life at Sea Act” classified boats with wooden superstructures as fire hazards in 1966, the Delta Queen had been operating with an exemption from congress. Without the temporary exemption that expired [...]

Cruise Passangers’ Legal Rights

Cruising the high seas, while often in waters outside US jurisdiction, can leave many vacationers with questions about their legal rights while on board a cruise. Too often, these questions only arise after an event takes place that calls for this information. Before leaving port, cruise passengers should be sure to have the following [...]

SS Morro Castle catalyst for Merchant Marine Act of 1936

A nor’easter turned the Atlantic into an angry ocean on the night of September 8, 1934. The SS Morro Castle, all 508 feet and 11,000 pounds of her, chugged hard through the high winds and pounding waves on her way to New York from Havana. The weather was mean and cruel, but nature wouldn’t deal [...]

Angry Readers Want Punishment for Hit-and-Run Boater

As NJ readers comment on the recent hit-and-run boater, questions are raised regarding the sobriety of the captain, Anthony DiGilio of Brick, NJ. Our guest legal expert, Nicole Taylor, Explains .
by Nicole Taylor
The blood alcohol content (BAC) level at which a person is considered operating a boat under the influence in New Jersey is [...]

Artifact found in Lake Michigan may Belong to France

The Charlevoix Courier ran a July 8, 2008, article discribing the recovery of a “four-inch long piece of wood” from Lake Michigan by Mr. Steven Libert [read article here]. United States Marshals appropriated the “artifact,” giving the Federal Court System “constructive possession” of the shipwreck. The question of “jurisidiction over the unidentified wreck” has led [...]