Hill Dickinson

Services > Marine > Emergency Response

Emergency Response

Hill Dickinson has been responding to emergency situations arising out of major shipping, offshore and land based casualties and disasters throughout its history.

We are available 24 hours a days, 365 days a year.

Casualties

Casualties in which we have been involved from the outset include:-

  • Achille Lauro - Fire off East Africa
  • Atlantic Crusader - Collision with GLOBAL MARINER in Orinoco River, Venezuela
  • Bowsprite - Sinking of dredger with loss of crew
  • Evoikos - Collision with ORAPIN GLOBAL in Singapore
  • Eurasian Dream - Fire off Sharjah
  • Hanjin Pennsylvania - Fire and Explosion off Colombo
  • Hanseatic - Grounding off Svalbard
  • Iionian  Sun - Grounding
  • Koscierzyna - Collision in Bay of Biscay
  • Leros Strength - Sinking off Norway with loss of crew
  • Lissom - Engine room fire 
  • Mearsk Tokyo - Explosion and fire off Dubai
  • Marchioness/Bowbelle - Collision in River Thames with loss of life
  • Modern Drive - Fire off South Africa
  • Nagasaki Spirit - Collision with OCEAN BLESSING in Malacca Sraights
  • Nedloyd Clement - Fire in reefer system
  • Nedloyd Recife - Grounding off Sao Francisco do Sul, Brazil
  • New Providence - Collision with jetty
  • Piper Alpha - Total Loss of oil platform
  • Pretty Ruby - Major dock damage in Odessa with loss of life
  • Pristine - Salvage
  • P36 - Collapse of floating production platform off Brazil
  • QE2 - Grounding off Martha's Vineyard
  • Romantica - Fire and total loss (passenger ship) off Cyprus
  • Sandkite - Collision with Thames Barrier
  • Sea Empress - Grounding off Milford Haven with extensive pollution
  • Springbok - Collision with GAS ROMAN off Singapore
  • Stena Discovery - Death and personal injury/MAIB investigation
  • Star Sea - Engine room fire and CTL
  • Vergina - Floodong and CTL  

How We Work

We were one of the first firms to develop our own major casualty response plan (following our involvement in the Bowbelle/Marchionness tragedy on the River Thames in 1989). Subsequent experience has enabled us to update and adapt this plan to deal with all types of shipping, offshore and land-based emergencies.

We are able to put together immediately a team from our Partners, Master Mariners and Lawyers to deal with any emergency or casualty, both on site and in our offices. This team will deal with the following key aspects as sson as possible:-

  • Investigating the cause of casualty (taking statements from witnesses, preserving evidence and appointing and working with experts, surveyors and lawyers in the relevant jurisdictions).
  • Containing and limiting damage
  • Dealing with investigations by relevant authorities (particularly where pollution and loss of life is involved).
  • Handling public relations and the media (and advising clients to take decisions on sensitive issues at an early stage to protect their business reputation)
  • Advising clients on their own internal investigations into the casualty (and maintaining legal privelege on documents which may be generated following a casualty)
  • Obtaining/giving security

We have first rate IT systems, which ensure clients are kept fully up to date with developments.

Once the key aspects have been dealt with, we will determine clients' objectives and potential exposure and formulate short and long term strategies to deal with those objectives and exposure.

We believe it is important for our clients to have their own contingency plans that cover all issues that may arise out of a disaster. We regularly assist clients in the development of their own contingency planning.