By most accounts 2020 has been a rough and stormy year for the maritime industry. Falling oil prices have played a major part, along with a global health crisis. As many are losing their jobs, it’s easy to feel like everything’s going the wrong direction. Still, amid...
Have you ever traveled to the coast and watched the tankers and container ships sail past the horizon? They can be an inspiring sight. Giant and majestic testaments to human ingenuity. These ships carry tons of freight and goods over the seas and across the globe. The...
By any account, 2020 has been a bad year for the oil and gas industry. Big oil companies have faced the twin threats of a global health crisis and historically low demand. And workers everywhere have felt the aftershocks. As the oil companies have struggled to cope...
Life at sea is demanding. Long shifts are common. Workers spend long weeks or months away from their friends and family. And they face greater risks of workplace injuries and fatalities. However, not all injuries are visible. Some injuries aren’t even physical....
An economic downturn hurts everyone in different ways. Some people must simply cope with thinner stock portfolios. Others lose their jobs. Still others may face harm more indirectly. This may soon be the case for those offshore workers who tap the ocean floor for...
When you think of life at sea and the dangers it might present, your mind might not go straight to fires and explosions. You might think about drowning or falls from rain-slicked heights. But fires and explosions are just as deadly and more common than you might...
For many, the warmer summer weather and longer days mean it’s time to go boating. Whether you have a boat of your own, plan to rent one or hope to join a chartered cruise, boating can be a great way to enjoy the outdoors. And it starts with proper safety. Most boaters...
They say that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Does this mean that we’re headed someday toward another catastrophic oil rig disaster? In March, we passed the ten-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. That explosion claimed 11...
You probably know that people who work at sea don’t usually get workers’ compensation. The laws for workers’ compensation sit with the states, and the work you do at sea doesn’t fit under state laws. The result is that if you suffer any injuries or illnesses while...
Oil rigs are like small, isolated cities, towering above the ocean waves. They’re built for work and not for luxury. Workers work and live together in crowded, air-tight chambers—for weeks at a time—and that makes oil rigs perfect breeding grounds for all kinds of...
