Admiralty law
Law of the oceans and their use
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We include updates on Merchant Marine Act of 1920, Flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict, SOLAS Convention, MARPOL 73/78, United States v. The Amistad, Marine salvage, Hague–Visby Rules, Demurrage, Hostis humani generis, Merchant Mariner Credential, United States Maritime Service, Charterparty, Maritime Labour Convention, Ballast Water Management Convention, Rolls of Oléron, Supercargo ... and more.
| February 2025 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
Governor Jennifer Gonzalez-Colón officially requested a permanent exemption from air cabotage laws for Puerto Rico.
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| 2021 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
Representative Ed Case reintroduces three reform Acts to Congress, continuing efforts to modify the Jones Act.
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| May 13 2021 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
Senator Mike Lee submits S. Bill 1646, the Open America's Waters Act, to repeal coastwise trade restrictions during the 117th United States Congress.
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| 2020 |
MARPOL 73/78
IMO 2020 new emission standards enforced, reducing the global sulphur limit in marine fuels from 3.5% to 0.5%. Over 170 countries signed on to these changes, expecting significant improvements in coastal and port area air quality and potential prevention of over 100,000 early deaths annually.
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| 2020 |
MARPOL 73/78
MARPOL directive expected to include all of the Republic of Ireland's international waters in the expanded SECA zone.
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| 2020 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
Defense think tank CSBA conducts a study on the maritime industry, warning that without the Jones Act, the shipbuilding industry could face severe impacts, potentially losing the ability to domestically produce auxiliary ships for government use.
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| December 17 2020 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
U.S. Representative Justin Amash introduces H.R. Bill 8996, the Jones Act Repeal Act, during the 116th United States Congress.
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| 2019 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
Representative Ed Case (Hawaii) introduces three reform Acts to Congress: H.R. Bill 298, H.R.299, and H.R.300, aimed at addressing shipping competition, rates, and relief.
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| 2019 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that repealing the Jones Act would potentially boost shipbuilding output by over $500 million.
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| 2018 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
The Northeast United States imported liquefied natural gas from Russia due to a lack of Jones Act-compliant LNG tankers, demonstrating a limitation in domestic maritime shipping capabilities.
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| September 8 2017 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
The Jones Act was simultaneously suspended for Hurricane Harvey (which hit Texas) and Hurricane Irma (which hit Florida), and later waived for Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria after two days of debate.
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| 2016 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
The Lexington Institute published a study highlighting the Jones Act's role in national security and border protection, arguing it helps prevent international terrorism.
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| January 1 2015 |
MARPOL 73/78
Maritime shipping became legally subject to new MARPOL directives with the expansion of the Sulphur Emission Controlled Areas (SECA) zone, including the North Sea, Scandinavia, and parts of the English Channel.
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| 2014 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
The Heritage Foundation releases a report critiquing the Jones Act, arguing that it is an ineffective method of promoting U.S. shipbuilding and claiming it increases shipping and energy costs while stifling competition and industry innovation.
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| March 2013 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a comprehensive study examining the effects of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico's freight rates and economic implications.
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| November 2 2012 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
The Secretary of Homeland Security issued a temporary conditional waiver of the Jones Act for shipping petroleum products from the Gulf Coast to New England and Central Atlantic regions for 12 days, following fuel shortages caused by Hurricane Sandy.
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| June 2012 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicated that the Jones Act may hinder economic development in Puerto Rico.
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| January 2012 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano granted a waiver to the Russian ice class marine tanker Renda to conduct an emergency shipment of gasoline from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to Nome.
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| 2011 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a study on maritime crew entries into the United States, revealing approximately 5 million maritime crew entries annually, with 80% of seafarer aliens working on passenger ships covered by the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.
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| 2010 |
Merchant Marine Act of 1920
Senator John McCain champions the Open America's Waters Act and co-sponsors S. 3525 in the 111th United States Congress, seeking to repeal the Jones Act.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles MARPOL 73/78 & Merchant Marine Act of 1920, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.