By Gilman & Allison, LLP — Texas Maritime Trial Attorneys for Injured Texans and Businesses
Introduction: Where Commerce Meets the Coastline
Few cities in America understand the ocean’s power like Houston. The Port of Houston isn’t just a Texas landmark — it’s one of the busiest maritime gateways in the Western Hemisphere, supporting tens of thousands of longshoremen, seamen, and port-service employees.
Every day, vessels, tugs, and barges move through the Houston Ship Channel, connecting refineries, petrochemical plants, and container terminals to global trade.
When injuries happen in this environment, they’re governed not by ordinary personal-injury law but by a body of federal maritime law that’s as deep and complex as the Gulf itself.
That’s where Gilman & Allison, LLP comes in — Texas maritime lawyers with real experience at sea and in court.
⚙️ 1. Houston’s Port: The Epicenter of U.S. Maritime Work
The Port of Houston handles more than 275 million tons of cargo each year, making it the No. 1 port in the United States for foreign waterborne tonnage.
Its surrounding network — Bayport, Barbours Cut, Texas City, and Galveston — employs thousands of maritime and industrial workers, including:
- Longshoremen and stevedores
- Tugboat and supply-vessel crews
- Crane, forklift, and terminal operators
- Ship repair and offshore service contractors
With this concentration of maritime labor comes a higher risk of deck, dock, and cargo-handling injuries, which fall under federal statutes like the Jones Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA).
⚖️ 2. The Laws That Protect Houston’s Maritime Workers
Houston’s workers are covered by some of the strongest — and most misunderstood — maritime protections in America:
- The Jones Act (46 U.S.C. §30104): Allows seamen to recover damages from their employers for negligence or unseaworthiness.
- The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (33 U.S.C. §901 et seq.): Covers longshoremen, harbor workers, and other shore-based maritime employees injured on navigable waters.
- Section 905(b) Third-Party Claims: Enables longshoremen to sue vessel owners for vessel negligence.
- General Maritime Law: Provides maintenance and cure, unseaworthiness, and wrongful-death remedies.
Because Houston’s economy depends on both blue-water and brown-water operations, maritime injury law here is constantly tested and refined in federal courts within the Southern District of Texas and the Fifth Circuit.
⚓ 3. Why Experienced Maritime Counsel Matters
Not every injury lawyer understands maritime law — and not every maritime lawyer knows how to try a case in front of a Texas jury.
At Gilman & Allison, our attorneys hold U.S. Merchant Mariner Licenses and decades of courtroom experience. We’ve represented clients injured on towboats, dredges, offshore rigs, and port terminals throughout the Gulf Coast.
We know how to:
- Prove vessel negligence and unseaworthiness
- Navigate complex jurisdictional issues between state and federal courts
- Calculate lost wages and future earnings under maritime standards
- Litigate maintenance-and-cure disputes and limitation of liability actions
This combination of maritime background and trial expertise is what sets Houston attorneys apart nationwide.
🌊 4. The Broader Impact: Houston Sets the Course
Many landmark Fifth Circuit decisions on maritime injury law originate right here in Houston. The city’s courts influence how maritime negligence, indemnity, and vessel liability are interpreted across the country.
As port operations expand and automation increases, Houston continues to shape the next generation of maritime law — from dockside safety to autonomous-vessel accountability.
For maritime professionals and injured seamen alike, Houston isn’t just a port — it’s the proving ground for America’s maritime justice system.
📞 5. Speak with a Houston Maritime Injury Lawyer Today
If you were injured aboard a vessel, barge, or at a Houston-area port terminal, you deserve attorneys who understand both the sea and the law.
Gilman & Allison, LLP proudly represents maritime workers, longshoremen, and businesses across Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, and the entire Gulf Coast.
📞 Call (713) 224-6622 (Houston) or (361) 357-8365 (Corpus Christi)
🌐 Visit www.GilmanAllison.com for a free consultation today.
