Maritime Law - 2251

The Pittsburgh region - home to Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers - is one of the busiest inland ports and waterways in the U.S.  Each day, commercial towboats with their barges full of commodities and recreational boaters make their way up and down the three rivers, which are made navigable through a series of locks and dams.  This course will introduce students to the unique law that applies to the activities on our local rivers. The topics addressed will include (i) the substantive law involving injuries and death of maritime workers and recreational boaters, property damage, limitation of liability, maritime liens, and salvage (ii) the basic requirements for admiralty jurisdiction over maritime claims, as admiralty jurisdiction does not apply to every accident occurring on a body of water.