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License Insurance
License insurance is a type of insurance coverage to protect
one's Coast Guard license and other risks arising from serving
as an officer aboard a commercial vessel. The bells and
whistles associated with coverage can differ from policy to
policy. A basic element of coverage should include attorney
representation in the event of a marine incident. The playing
field has become legally more difficult than in decades past.
Legal action can arise from any number of things and can
include being sued in civil lawsuits as well as being
prosecuted criminally by a state district attorney or on the
federal level by the U.S. Attorneys office, depending on the
violations of laws and statutes alleged. Attorney representation
can be vital to a mariner if they are summoned to appear before
an administrative law judge who will adjudicate a matter to
determine if a license will be suspended or revoked.
In addition to coverage for attorney representation, additional
elements should be considered. Do you want coverage for loss
of income in the event of a license suspension or revocation?
Do you want coverage for being sued personally? This situation
may arise if a plaintiff is suing your vessel owner or charterer,
and at the same time is suing you personally for damages or
injuries. Do you want coverage for criminal liability? Criminal
liability can arise more easily than one might imagine. Look no
further than the cases involving the prosecution of engineering
officers for violations of environmental regulations. Criminal
prosecution can arise from things that might not seem to be
deliberate criminal acts to the unfamiliar, i.e. failing to maintain
engine room logs for an oily water separator. Today’s
commercial mariner faces criminal
liability for a broader range of violations than would have been
the case in the 70s or 80s. The most intelligent course of action
would be to discuss insurance coverages with an experienced
agent who can offer intelligent coverage for a reasonable range
of risks at a price that the commercial mariner can live with.
s
License insurance is a type of insurance coverage to protect
one's Coast Guard license and other risks arising from serving
as an officer aboard a commercial vessel. The bells and
whistles associated with coverage can differ from policy to
policy. A basic element of coverage should include attorney
representation in the event of a marine incident. The playing
field has become legally more difficult than in decades past.
Legal action can arise from any number of things and can
include being sued in civil lawsuits as well as being
prosecuted criminally by a state district attorney or on the
federal level by the U.S. Attorneys office, depending on the
violations of laws and statutes alleged. Attorney representation
can be vital to a mariner if they are summoned to appear before
an administrative law judge who will adjudicate a matter to
determine if a license will be suspended or revoked.
In addition to coverage for attorney representation, additional
elements should be considered. Do you want coverage for loss
of income in the event of a license suspension or revocation?
Do you want coverage for being sued personally? This situation
may arise if a plaintiff is suing your vessel owner or charterer,
and at the same time is suing you personally for damages or
injuries. Do you want coverage for criminal liability? Criminal
liability can arise more easily than one might imagine. Look no
further than the cases involving the prosecution of engineering
officers for violations of environmental regulations. Criminal
prosecution can arise from things that might not seem to be
deliberate criminal acts to the unfamiliar, i.e. failing to maintain
engine room logs for an oily water separator. Today’s
commercial mariner faces criminal
liability for a broader range of violations than would have been
the case in the 70s or 80s. The most intelligent course of action
would be to discuss insurance coverages with an experienced
agent who can offer intelligent coverage for a reasonable range
of risks at a price that the commercial mariner can live with.
s
As if today's commercial
mariner didn't have it hard
enough, he or she has to
worry about whether a
decision or exercise of
judgment might be claimed
to be negligent, whether
in interpreting a radar
image or making a call
about the extent of fog
that should keep a vessel
in port to wait things out.
mariner didn't have it hard
enough, he or she has to
worry about whether a
decision or exercise of
judgment might be claimed
to be negligent, whether
in interpreting a radar
image or making a call
about the extent of fog
that should keep a vessel
in port to wait things out.