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The United States Coast Guard is issuing a final rule to increase the limits of liability for vessels, deepwater ports, and onshore facilities, under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, as amended (OPA 90), to reflect significant increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This final rule is effective November 12, ... Read More
We provide an update to the previously reported decision summary that can be found here: https://www.wqis.com/starr-v-wqis-legal-update-decision-of-interest/ A notice of Appeal was filed by Starr on May 23, 2018. The parties fully briefed the matter. Oral argument was held at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on May 15, 2019. By ... Read More
By now, all commercial vessel Owners and Operators are aware or should be of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s September 21, 2018 decision in United States v. Nature’s Way Marine, LLC – F.3d – (5th Cir. 2018). WQIS continues to receive various questions about ... Read More
The National Pollution Funds Center has posted the following update regarding the government shutdown and the NPFC Vessel Certification Division closure. Due to the partial government shutdown, the Vessel Certification Division at NPFC is only minimally staffed and Certificate of Financial Responsibility (COFR) applications are not being processed. However, ... Read More
The Vessel Certification Division of the National Pollution Funds Center has made the following announcement: ************************************** Due to the Federal Government shutdown, the Vessel Certification Division will be closed. During the shutdown, the ECOFR site will remain operational. We will review all received applications in the order received once ... Read More
Leverage our nearly 50 years as the premier US vessel pollution insurer and guarantor. Competitive rates and no charge for vessel calls USD 700 for all non-tank vessels USD 825 for all tank vessels No fee CG-5585 application service Backed by the strength of our syndicate subscribers Access to ... Read More
On April 25, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a notable opinion in Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. a/s/o and as assignee of all rights of Genesis Marine, LLC v. Water Quality Insurance Syndicate, No. 15 Civ. 2365 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 25, 2018). In extensive ... Read More
BoatUS estimates more than 63,000 recreational boats were damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma at about $655 million in boat losses. That is just shy of losses caused by Hurricane Sandy. Substantial damage occurred even to boats whose owners took appropriate precautions, inspectors found. While some boats ... Read More
The National Transportation Safety Board has finished its review of the Oct. 1, 2015, sinking of the freighter El Faro between Jacksonville, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico, during Hurricane Joaquin. The accident killed all 33 people on board and was the worst U.S. maritime disaster in modern history. ... Read More
A global cyber attack spread worldwide June 27, striking multiple shipping operations, including carrier lines and terminals. Internal systems as well as online booking applications were shuttered, causing port closures and potentially serious problems with terminal operating systems that control cargo logistics and ship berthing among many other terminal ... Read More