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Jorge F. Blasini-González

Managing Member

Mr. Blasini concentrates his practice on litigating and counseling clients in all areas of admiralty and maritime law, including oil pollution, allisions and collisions, cargo claims, death and personal injury claims, environmental claims, fires, groundings, Jones Act claims, insurance matters, maritime criminal cases, vessel finance, vessel registration, and USCG and CBP penalties. Another facet of his practice is transportation law, which involves permits and licenses, regulatory compliance, transportation agreements, and trucking accidents. He often works and counsels clients in matters outside the United States and Puerto Rico.
Jorge F. Blasini-González

He has frequently participated as a speaker in seminars on maritime and admiralty topics. Mr. Blasini has negotiated various terminal lease agreements for large shipping lines. He has assisted common carriers with government permits and licenses to enter cargo into Puerto Rico, including warehousing and distribution. He also worked with a client to obtain the first license ever issued in Puerto Rico to import, warehouse, and distribute LNG. He counsels clients on the purchase and registration of commercial vessels abroad. He has represented banking institutions in financing commercial vessels and registration of preferred mortgages and other collateral documents. Mr. Blasini has also assisted shipowners in several criminal cases involving OWS.

Practice Areas

A significant part of his work concentrates on litigation, including appellate work. Over the past 20 years, he has undertaken the defense on behalf of ship interests of numerous seaman and passenger claims. Mr. Blasini has also participated on behalf of the P&I Associations in defense of a tank farm explosion limitation action and a passenger/cargo ferry mass tort fire action.

Mr. Blasini has also been involved in the response and related litigation of several groundings, including:

FORTUNA REEFER, Mona Island, PR (1997)

KAPITAN EGOROV, Port of Guayanilla, PR (1998)

AUTHOR, Port of Ponce, PR (1998)

SERGO ZACKARIADZE, Port of San Juan, PR (1999)

KENT RELIANT, Port of San Juan, PR (2003)

SPERCHIOS, Port of Guayanilla, PR (2005)

MARGARA, Port of Guayanilla, PR (2006)

CARRIBEAN BARGE, Port of Puerto Plata, DR (2007)

MATTHEW (LNG Tanker), Port of Guayanilla, PR (2009)

Mr. Blasini enjoys helping others with his pro-bono work.  He often travels with his family and is active in outdoor sports.

Education

  • Tulane University
    New Orleans, LA
    1997, LL.M in Admiralty
  • Loyola University
    New Orleans, LA
    1995, MBA
  • Loyola University
    New Orleans, LA
    1995, JD
  • United States Naval Academy
    Annapolis, MD
    1987, BS in Economics

Bar Admissions

  • Puerto Rico Bar, 1997
  • United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, 1998
  • United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 2000
  • Federal Maritime Commission, 2008
  • United States Supreme Court, 2010

Professional Associations & Certifications

While serving in the U.S. Navy, Mr. Blasini earned several qualifications, including Surface Warfare Officer and Officer of the Deck on board the USS JOHN RODGERS (DD9983). He also served in various capacities, including Communications Officer, Communications Material System Officer, Electronic Warfare Officer, Training Officer, with clearances above Top Secret. He volunteered as translator in support of US Coast Guard Law Enforcement in counternarcotics operations and conducted numerous potentially hazardous offshore boarding inspections of suspected vessels. He was also instrumental in the at sea rescue of a stricken vessel and its crew.

  • American Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Instituto Iberoamericano de Derecho Marítimo, Vice-President for Puerto Rico, 2012-2014
  • Proctor – Maritime Law Association of the United States

Representative Cases

  • In re Cape Bruny Tankschiffarts GMBH and Co. KG

    Civil No. 10-1337 (USDC-PR 2009)

    Shipowners Limitation of Liability action involving over 4,000 claims as consequence of explosion/fire in tank farm storage facility.

  • Matter of Baja Ferries S.A. De C.V.

    Civil No. 17-1172 (USDC-PR 2016)

    Shipowners Limitation of Liability action (over 250 claims as consequence of a fire aboard a passenger/cargo ferry).

  • Rosario v. Crowley Puerto Rico Services, Inc.

    2012 WL 4508182 (USDC-PR 2012)

    Local workman’s compensation statute supplants federal maritime law for covered accidents involving longshoremen that occur in Puerto Rico.

  • Santos v. America Cruise Ferries, Inc.

    100 F.Supp.3d 96 (D.P.R. 2015)

    Injury on the high seas; survival and non-pecuniary damages are not recoverable under the general maritime law.

  • TAG/ICIB Services Inc. v. Pan American Grain Co.

    215 F.3d 172 (1st Cir.2000)

    Defining statute of limitations in demurrage cases; construing provisions of ICCTA of 1995.

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