Sea Tow Fort Lauderdale Seeks Court Order to Correct and Confirm Arbitration Award in Salvage Case Involving the Miss Ethel
Lauderdale Towing & Salvage, Inc., doing business as Sea Tow Fort Lauderdale, has filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to correct and confirm a maritime arbitration award issued by the Society of Maritime Arbitrators. The petition, filed under Case No. 0:25-cv-62259-WPD, requests that the federal court correct a clerical naming error in a $75,605.70 arbitration award and enter judgment in favor of Sea Tow against the vessel Miss Ethel and its owner, Robert H. Wilson.
Sea Tow Recovers Sunken Vessel Miss Ethel off Hollywood Beach, Florida
According to the filing, the dispute arises from a July 25, 2024, salvage operation conducted by Sea Tow Fort Lauderdale after the 31-foot Cabo motor vessel Miss Ethel sank off the coast of Hollywood Beach, Florida. The owner, identified during the operation as “Harry Wilson,” executed a U.S. Open Form Salvage Agreement authorizing Sea Tow to perform the recovery.
Sea Tow mobilized its response team, successfully raised the vessel, and towed it to a Fort Lauderdale boatyard, where it was secured on land the same day. The company later invoiced $62,692.50 for the salvage, but payment was never received. After multiple unsuccessful demands for payment, Sea Tow invoked the arbitration clause in the salvage agreement and initiated proceedings before the Society of Maritime Arbitrators.
Arbitrator Awards $75,605 to Sea Tow, but Vessel Owner’s Legal Name Later Discovered to Be Different
The parties jointly selected maritime arbitrator David W. Martowski to hear the dispute under the SMA Salvage Arbitration Rules. On August 11, 2025, Mr. Martowski issued a final award in favor of Sea Tow for $75,605.70, covering the value of the services rendered and related expenses.
However, after the arbitration concluded, Sea Tow discovered that “Harry Wilson,” who had participated in the arbitration and signed sworn statements under that name, was in fact Robert H. Wilson, the vessel’s legal owner. Property and payment records linked to the Miss Ethel confirmed that Robert H. Wilson held legal ownership and made payments for the vessel’s storage and maintenance.
Sea Tow’s motion asserts that this misidentification was the result of an “evident material mistake” in the description of a party, which the Federal Arbitration Act allows courts to correct under 9 U.S.C. § 11(a). The company emphasized that the correction would not alter the substance or outcome of the award but would merely ensure that the judgment reflects the owner’s legal name.
Motion Seeks to Confirm Arbitration Award as Final Judgment Under Federal Maritime Law
In addition to requesting the name correction, Sea Tow is asking the court to confirm the corrected arbitration award as a final judgment under 9 U.S.C. § 9. Federal courts in the Eleventh Circuit, the motion notes, give strong deference to arbitration awards, following a “heavy presumption in favor of confirmation.”
The company argues that the award was “made” in Florida—where the salvage occurred and the arbitration was conducted—making the Southern District of Florida the proper venue for confirmation. Sea Tow also contends that no grounds exist to vacate or modify the award beyond the correction of the respondent’s name.
If granted, the motion would result in a federal judgment recognizing the corrected award against Robert H. Wilson and the vessel Miss Ethel, allowing Sea Tow to pursue collection or enforcement of the judgment under maritime lien and in rem principles.
Legal Framework: Federal Arbitration Act and Maritime Salvage Rights
Sea Tow’s petition cites two key provisions of the Federal Arbitration Act: Section 11, allowing correction of material errors such as misidentified parties, and Section 9, which mandates confirmation of valid arbitration awards. The motion references prior federal cases, including Hyle v. Doctor’s Associates, Inc., where courts approved similar corrections of naming errors in arbitration awards.
Under maritime law, salvage operators like Sea Tow are entitled to fair compensation for recovering vessels in peril. When disputes arise, arbitration under the SMA Salvage Rules provides a specialized venue for resolving claims efficiently within the maritime industry.
Sea Tow Requests Court to Enter Corrected Award and Final Judgment
Lauderdale Towing & Salvage’s filing requests that the federal court (1) correct the arbitration award to reflect the respondent’s legal name, Robert H. Wilson, in place of the alias “Harry Wilson,” and (2) confirm the corrected award as a final judgment in favor of Sea Tow Fort Lauderdale and against both Wilson and the Miss Ethel.
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Disclaimer: Our firm does not represent the plaintiff in this case and is not involved in the litigation. The information provided is a summary of allegations based on publicly available court filings. We make no representations about the truth of these allegations, are not commenting on the merits of the case, and are not predicting any outcome.
