The Jones Act- Common Ownership or Control

Posted by: rzehl
May 13, 2008
Topic: The Jones Act

If an offshore worker has worked on several different rigs or platforms over the course of his career, a common occurrence in the industry, lawyers for the defendant will attempt to challenge the worker's Jones Act seaman status by looking at the fleet within which the plaintiff was working. Courts require a fleet to be "an identifiable group of vessels acting together or under one control". Basically, even if an offshore worker has worked on twelve different vessels over the course of a twenty year career, if those vessels were not owned or controlled by a single entity, that offshore worker has not worked for a fleet under "common ownership or control" and thus does not meet the standard for Jones Act seaman status.

Contact the experienced Mississippi Jones Act attorneys at Fitts Zehl, LLP by email at info@gulfcoastmaritimelawyer.com or toll-free at (800) 993-4887.  Our Maritime Accident Lawyers represent clients from cities throughout the gulf coast region including: Houston, Port Fourchon, Cameron and Mobile.

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