Maritime foundation appoints two new board members

Maritime foundation appoints two new board members|Maritime foundation appoints two new board members
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The American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF) has recently appointed Vincent M. DeOrchis and Robert E. O’Connors as board members according to Montgomery McCracken, a full-service law firm with offices in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware.

The ACMF was founded in 2015 to bring awareness of and support to the Caribbean Maritime University, which is the premier tertiary institution in Jamaica for maritime education, training, research and consultancy. The ACMF is the only entity dedicated to sponsoring academic scholarships and grants for maritime students in the Caribbean. The ACMF also recently created The Bridge Scholarship to support displaced students who were affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

“The maritime industry is critical to the growth and development of the Caribbean and the ACMF’s role in providing opportunities for students in this industry cannot be overstated. DeOrchis and O’Connor bring to the ACMF board important skills and access that will be pivotal in the board achieving its objectives; and we are privileged to have them on our team,” said ACMF Board President, Dr. Geneive Brown Metzger.

In November 2017, the ACMF held its second annual reception and celebrated the accreditation of the Caribbean Maritime University (formerly the Caribbean Maritime Institute). The reception was held at Oceana Restaurant in New York City and sponsored by Montgomery McCracken. Many diplomatic and business representatives from different countries including China and Greece attended the event.

DeOrchis is a partner in the Litigation Department of Montgomery McCracken and co-chair of the firm’s Maritime and Transportation practice group. He has handled many of the leading cases in U.S. maritime law involving cargo, charter party, limitation of liability and hull claims. DeOrchis is a founding member of the International Maritime Law Seminar and a titular member of the Comitè Maritime International (CMI). In addition, DeOrchis is an advisor to the U.S. State Department in respect to the UNCITRAL project to draft the Rotterdam Rules Convention. He is a past member of the board of directors of the Maritime Law Association of the United States and former chairman of the MLA’s Committee on Carriage of Goods, which proposed a revision of the U.S. Carriage of Goods by Sea Act for submission to Congress. DeOrchis has also served on the Board of Directors of New York Maritime, Inc. (NYMAR).

O’Connor is a general litigator and a member of Montgomery McCracken’s Maritime and Transportation practice group. He represents insurers, owners and operators of vessels, and marine fuel suppliers among others. O’Connor specializes in environmental matters relating to oil pollution and coral damage under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, emissions regulations under MARPOL, and criminal investigations under the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. He has significant experience handling claims arising from major marine casualties such as collisions, allisions, and fires under the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act and the Shipowners’ Limitation of Liability Act.

About Montgomery McCracken

Montgomery McCracken is a full-service law firm with offices in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware. The firm represents leading businesses, multinational corporations, nonprofit organizations and individuals across a wide range of industries in complex litigation matters, significant corporate transactions and challenging disputes. For more information about Montgomery McCracken or its practice areas, please visit www.mmwr.com or on Twitter at @MMWR_Law.