Events
Speaking Engagement

Responder Immunity Lessons Learned from the <i>Deepwater Horizon</i> Incident

Maritime Salvage: Where Do We Stand?

Quebec, Canada

Jonathan K. Waldron, partner at Blank Rome, will be speaking on "Responder Immunity Lessons Learned from the Deepwater Horizon Incident" at Innovation Maritime's international conference on "Maritime Salvage: Where Do We Stand?" held in Quebec, Canada on March 15.

Mr. Waldron's presentation, scheduled for 3:15 p.m.-4:45 p.m., will review the historical background on responder immunity under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and the effectiveness of its provisions over the years; analyze the current standard of protection as applied to all types of responders, including salvors; the current immunity provisions under the Civil Liability Convention and under the Canada Shipping Act; and the status of U.S. multi-district litigation in which all of the Deepwater Horizon civil claims have been consolidated, including those against responders. 

Other topics that will be discussed during this conference include:

  • Leveraging Resources to Achieve Change in a Challenging Environment
  • Marine Salvage and the Environment: Evolution of the Modern Salvage Operator
  • International Convention and Evaluation Criteria of a Salvage with Canadian Specificity
  • Lloyd's Open Form and SCOPIC Regime
  • The U.S. Salvage and Marine Firefighting Regulations
  • International Overview of Marine Salvage
  • Reality of Maritime Salvage in St. Lawrence Seaway
  • Escort Plan, Development, and Practice—Placentia Bay NL, Canada
  • Marine Salvage Engineering Demystified
  • Operational Scheduling in a Major Casualty Response
  • Places of Refuge

Innovation Maritime is a technology transfer center and an applied research center, created by the Institut maritime du Québec, who provides R&D services, technical support, SME development support, and technology watch services to companies and organizations involved in the marine industry.  Innovation maritime is a non-profit corporation, directed by a board of representatives from the marine industry and research sectors.