+ 1 (562) 321 – 1235

Call Peacock Piper’s dedicated emergency number if you require immediate assistance with a maritime casualty. An experienced maritime casualty response attorney will take your call – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The first days of any casualty response are critical. The rapid development of a response strategy is imperative to the safety of the crew, the vessel, third parties and possibly the environment. It may also be crucial to an effective defense of future claims. We are experienced in all aspects of casualty responses and uniquely positioned to assist you in your time of need.

Our location in downtown Long Beach, California allows us to quickly respond to vessels requiring assistance in the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, Port Hueneme, the Port of San Diego as well as other areas of California and the West Coast. We can work with your preferred vendors and consultants or recommend experienced and reliable experts, consultants, and surveyors for your particular issues.

We have attorneys licensed in California, Hawaii, Washington, and Alaska who have seen over 70 trial and binding arbitrations through to verdict. This background has honed our ability to identify, preserve, and present the most compelling evidence in our clients’ defense. When we respond to a casualty, we never lose sight of the claims you may face or want to bring and prioritize collecting evidence to put you in the best position for later litigation or claims – whether in the U.S. or in foreign arbitration forums.

Peacock Piper has substantial experience responding to all types of casualties including oil spills governed by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA ’90); personal injury and death investigations involving seamen, longshoreman, harbor workers and passengers; cargo damage claims including heavy weather incidents; property damage claims including groundings, collisions, allisions, fires, and dock damage incidents; Oil Water Separator (OWS) criminal investigations. We have participated in civil and criminal investigations by the United States Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the United States Department of Justice, United States Fish & Wildlife, California Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), California Fish & Wildlife, California Air Resources Board (CARB), California State Lands and local law enforcement, to name a few. We are here to help you navigate the complexities of any casualty response. Our attorneys have represented the interests of vessel owners in some of the most significant casualties on the U.S. west coast over the past 30 years.

From the first days of an event, we will be working with you, your crew, shoreside personnel, your designated Qualified Individual, the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and relevant state officials to best position you to defend claims, seek limitation of liability and work to get your vessel underway as soon as possible.

In addition to defending your interests we work hard to be your “eyes and ears” locally and keep you regularly updated on the status of the situation, costs and recommendations for the immediate further handling of the response.

To learn more about our Maritime practice, click here.