After a four-day trial, a federal judge ruled on Dec. 18 in favor of the family of Freddie Porter, Jr., a 19-year-old U.S. Navy enlisted seaman from New Jersey who in 2007 was killed when the small craft carrying him was overrun by a tugboat pushing a large flotilla on Virginia's James River. The tug, owned and operated by Vulcan Materials Company, collided with the Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) carrying Porter as he engaged in nighttime military training exercises. The court found the United States Navy 80 percent responsible for Porter's death and Vulcan 20 percent responsible, awarding Porter's family $1,250,000. Attorneys for the victim's family believe the judge's ruling against Vulcan and the Navy will have widespread implications for the nation's tugboat operations in U.S.