Welder on Temporary Offshore Assignment Not a 'Seaman'

A federal appellate court ruled that a welder on a temporary assignment to do work decommissioning an offshore oil well did not qualify as a Jones Act seaman. Case: Wilcox v. Wild Well Control, No. 13-31281, and Wilcox v. Welders, No. 14-30137, 07/24/2015, published. Facts: Energy Resource Technology GOM hired Wild Well, a subsidiary of Superior Energy Services, to decommission a well in the Gulf of Mexico. Wild Well then hired Max Welders to provide welders for the project. Max Welders sent Joseph Wilcox to do some of the work, which was expected to last for approximately two months. Dur...