MOPS for Blue Water Officers
Oceangoing deck and engineering officers working on container ships, tankers, freighters, tug and barge combinations, and other vessels in international or domestic coastwise commerce face numerous risks, including:
- Collisions with other vessels at sea or on the approach to harbors and ports
- Collisions with fishing and recreational boats that stray into shipping channels
- Inadvertent discharge of oil
Collisions and oil spills can open the door to license, civil and even criminal charges, making legal representation from the outset of an incident all the more critical.
If you’re involved in an incident that can expose you to negligence charges, your MOPS attorney will advise you on how to respond to investigating officers, and will fight for your rights and your license in Administrative Court.
And with MOPS, your license defense legal fees are completely covered – another valuable benefit because legal fees associated with even a relatively minor incident can be significant.
“Thank you! The attorney was excellent!”
–– Blue Water Captain, Los Angeles, CA
MOPS in Action
While approaching pilotage waters via a well-marked channel, the master of a general cargo containership observed another vessel turning into the same channel across his bow, close aboard. Efforts to avoid a collision were unsuccessful, and both vessels suffered damage above the waterline.
A MOPS attorney was immediately assigned, and used GPS information and eyewitness accounts to convince authorities that the containership’s master was not at fault for the collision. No charges were brought against him.
Total value of license defense services provided: $2,100.