Casualties & Pollution

Shipping Casualties and Pollution Incidents can be high profile and catastrophic for all involved. At Pacific Maritime, we have experience in managing shipping casualties at all stages of the process, including:

• Managing the initial notifications and liaising with response agencies and regulators.
• Investigating the incident, including evidence preservation, to ensure the firmest possible footing for subsequent decision-making and any legal or regulatory responses.
• Assisting the Master and crew with a highly stressful situation with possible criminal jurisdiction consequences.
• Negotiating with regulators, marine insurers and owners to resolve any long-term consequences effectively, efficiently and at least cost.

We have experience in representing clients in all kinds of investigations, including marine safety investigations by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, responding to regulatory notices such as improvement notices and prohibition notices, and prosecutions initiated by a range of agencies, including Work Health Safety, Marine Safety Agencies, and Environmental Agencies.

We also have experience in defending employment issues arising out of incidents and accidents, including Fair Work Commisssion matters.

Pacific Maritime Lawyers’ practical experience with shipping casualties, including incident response management, can result in superior outcomes from unfortunate events.