If you operate a business that employs crewmembers at sea for significant periods of time, you may be affected by the Jones Act and need the right marine crew insurance to compensate. An article that appeared in the most recent issue of Underwater Magazine focuses on this legislation and what it means for businesses looking to cover all of their bases.
As the author of the article, Richard Lesser, notes, the Jones Act has several particulars that may or may not qualify for your business. Companies that manage fleets and workers can use these guidelines to determine their current status or, if they are restructuring their business, decide whether they will do so in a way that complies.
- Time spent at sea: One of the main qualities that Lesser examines in regards to the Jones Act is how long seamen affected by it are at sea. By this calculation, some stationary workers might not be covered by the Act.
- "Vessel at Navigation": Lesser notes this as an important distinguishing phrase: some bodies of water aren't considered to be navigable, so the location could affect the way that this policy affects them.
- Purpose: Another major aspect of the Jones Act is whether the seamen included by them are deemed necessary to whatever the purpose of the mission is in totality, like in the case of a diving mission.
The consequences of the Jones Act apply specifically to commercial divers, and those who operate without commercial diving insurance may risk violating this statute. Fisk Marine Insurance International understands the specifics of the law and can offer commercial diving insurance that is perfectly suited to whatever the company plans to do.