Our firm handles a variety of maritime and port litigation. We are currently investigating the facts of a tragic boating accident that occurred in the early morning hours of August 28th when a boat collided with a dredge vessel (the “Ronnie R”) near Elba Island. Our firm is privately gathering information related to the cause of the incident, including visibility of the dredge and required lighting. Our firm has pulled AIS data and has obtained information regarding entities involved in the incident. If you have any information regarding this incident, please email us at info@kmtrial.com
The vessel involved in the collision was the “Ronnie R” (weight: 25 Tons, length: 47 Feet), registered to Weeks Marine, Inc.
Ronnie R AIS data 
Area of incident
Coast Guard Navigation Rules can be found here. Of particular relevance to the current case is the following rule:
—INTERNATIONAL— Steering and Sailing Rules
RULE 14 Head-on Situation
(a) When two power-driven vessels are meeting on reciprocal or nearly reciprocal courses so as to involve risk of collision each shall alter her course to starboard so that each shall pass on the port side of the other.
(b) Such a situation shall be deemed to exist when a vessel sees the other ahead or nearly ahead and by night she could see the masthead lights of the other in a line or nearly in a line and/or both sidelights and by day she observes the corresponding aspect of the other vessel.
(c) When a vessel is in any doubt as to whether such a situation exists she shall assume that it does exist and act accordingly.
