Miami Shipping Law

On January 27, 2016,  a 3-judge panel of the Third District Court of Appeal for the State of Florida has ruled unanimously that lawsuits filed by passengers on  Costa Concordia, the infamous cruise ship that ran aground and sank in Italy in January 2012, should be heard in that country.  The appellate court found that 57 plaintiffs, including five U.S. residents, should not be allowed to pursue their lawsuit against Miami-based Costa parent Carnival Corp. in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, which dismissed the case on forum non conveniens grounds.   Costa Concordia sank off the Italian island Giglio in January 2012 after its captain allegedly changed course to do a sail-by salute and hit a coral reef. More than 3,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members were evacuated--32 people died.    The court reasoned that the evidence is located in Italy. The court also noted that the wreckage, voyage data recorder, bridge voice recorder, ship cameras and the vessel's electronic na

As reported in the Daily Business Review on January 25, 2016, Nicaragua's police, army and navy will investigate the captain of a tourist boat and his assistant for the deaths of 13 Costa Rican passengers killed on January 23rd when the vessel capsized in bad weather. The Reina del Caribe , Spanish for "Caribbean Queen," was carrying 33 people when it went down Saturday amid rain and strong winds as it ferried between the Corn Islands, a popular tourist destination, off Nicaragua's Caribbean coast. The Daily Business Review article can be accessed here=> Daily Business Review article. The government clarified on the 24th that the boat was carrying 25 Costa Ricans, two Americans, two British citizens, a Brazilian and three Nicaraguans. Previous reports had said there were 32 people on board, including four Americans. All the dead were Costa Ricans. Nicaragua's naval commander for the southern Caribbean region said the boat's captain was detained because