How does admiralty or maritime law apply to oilfield workers?
Traditionally, admiralty law did not apply to oilfield workers, but as the result of several important court decisions in the wake of the oil industry’s involvement in offshore operations, its scope was significantly expanded. Today, its protection extends to offshore oilfield workers assigned to “floaters;” that is, special purpose structures capable of being floated from one location to another, like semi-submersible drilling rigs, jack-up drilling rigs, and inland barges. Since 1959, many oilfield workers hurt on the job have found protection under the general maritime law and under specific federal statutes such as the Jones Act, passed by Congress in 1920 for the benefit of traditional seamen employed shipboard.
