Keith Letourneau

September 12, 2022 | Texas Lawyer

Numerous invasive species threaten North American and Texas waters.

By Keith Letourneau

6 minute read

August 08, 2022 | Texas Lawyer

The road ahead promises to be bumpy as ocean carriers, shippers and government regulators formulate the standards that will govern the assessment and enforcement of container demurrage and detention charges to smooth the way ahead for the return to shipping normalcy.

By Keith Letourneau

6 minute read

June 21, 2022 | Texas Lawyer

Years of magic(al) pipe thinking have deluded perpetrators into believing they can continue to intentionally pump oil into the world's oceans with impunity, says Keith B. Letourneau, a partner with Blank Rome.

By Keith Letourneau

6 minute read

May 20, 2022 | Texas Lawyer

In the United States, vessels hold a unique status under maritime law--each possesses its own persona that subjects it to potential arrest even in the absence of jurisdiction over its owners.

By Keith Letourneau

7 minute read

March 20, 2022 | Texas Lawyer

From a maritime-law perspective, questions arise as to whether Russia's wanton war and its consequences may trigger a charter's force majeure clause, which generally has the effect of suspending contract performance obligations that are disrupted by unforeseeable events beyond the control of the vessel's owner or charterer.

By Keith Letourneau

7 minute read

February 24, 2022 | Texas Lawyer

'Because Frescati has altered the safe-berth landscape, parties to maritime contracts should consider the implications of safe-berth language contained therein to understand and account for their respective liability-risk exposure,' Keith B. Letourneau, a partner at Blank Rome in Houston, said.

By Keith Letourneau

6 minute read

January 20, 2022 | Texas Lawyer

As important as it is to reduce NOx and Sox emissions, the maritime industry is only just now turning its attention to ratcheting down GHG emissions emanating from the world's fleet.

By Keith Letourneau

7 minute read

December 14, 2021 | Texas Lawyer

In a competitive world where time is money, allocating the risk of delays between parties to maritime transportation contracts is more important than ever, and especially during a pandemic when vessels and container delays are rampant.

By Keith Letourneau

7 minute read

November 15, 2021 | Texas Lawyer

One of the more protectionist laws that applies to U.S. coastal trade is the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly know as the Jones Act, after its…

By Keith Letourneau

7 minute read

October 13, 2021 | Texas Lawyer

Amazingly, there is no navigation rule that explains or specifically authorizes this maneuver, colloquially known since at least the 1980s as the Texas Chicken. It developed out of necessity to handle the volume of commercial traffic on the HSC.

By Keith Letourneau

6 minute read