Section 11.12 Admiralty Jurisdiction Act

• Library: Tort Law 2016

Admiralty jurisdiction traditionally did not extend to extensions of land, i.e., structures firmly attached to land such as docks and wharves. But 46 U.S.C. § 30101(a) of the Admiralty Jurisdiction Act of 1948, now 46 U.S.C. §§ 30101 et seq., extended admiralty jurisdiction to injuries "caused by a vessel," notwithstanding that the injury may have occurred on a dock or wharf. As made clear by Gutierrez v. Waterman Steamship Corp., 373 U.S. 206 (1963), for the purposes of the Act, "caused by a vessel" is interpreted rather broadly. In Gutie...