Shipping Archives - Marine Café Blog

Thoughts on narcissism amongst maritime folks

by Barista Uno | Jun 8, 2021 | Shipping, Society and Culture | 0 Comments

Narcissism seems to be getting out of hand even in the staid world of shipping. Just visit LinkedIn, the professional networking website. The place is brimming with what one might describe as corporate selfies. A lecture delivered, a commendation received, an article published — it’s all a great opportunity for martiime folks, both the prominent and the obscure, to post pictures and sometimes videos of themselves.

Does the rest of the world give a hoot? Most probably not, but the posters think they have accomplished something important that has to be trumpeted.

Tugboats at work in awesome old photographs

by Barista Uno | Jun 3, 2021 | Photography, Shipping | 0 Comments

Men who are obsessed with manliness can learn a lesson from tugboats. These mean little machines are capable of pulling ships and barges that are many times their size. They can navigate through narrow canals and shallow waters. Their power and adroitness more than make up for their relative lack of bulk. The best tugboat, however, is a wimp on the water without an experienced skipper at the helm. It all boils down to how one uses the power available.

Where are you in the maritime food chain?

by Barista Uno | Jan 31, 2021 | Seafarers' Rights and Welfare, Shipping | 2 Comments

I first learned about the food chain in grade school. What fascinated me then wasn’t so much the fact that the species at the top of the link fed on those below them. It was the idea of interconnectivity and interdependence in the natural world. Many years later, as a shipping and ports journalist, I would discover a more fascinating kind of food chain, one which continues to intrigue me to this day.

10 maritime New Year wishes that were never fulfilled

by Barista Uno | Jan 1, 2021 | Announcements and Events, Seafarers' Rights and Welfare, Shipping | 0 Comments

It has been my custom to publish a list of maritime wishes for the New Year. The following are 10 such wishes I had made in previous years. All remain unfulfilled. They lie like dead seashells on the shore, which hardly surprises me. Old habits die hard, as the saying goes, and many in the maritime world are creatures of habit. Be that as it may, I still believe in dreams and wishes. A happy and peaceful 2021 to all of Marine Café Blog’s readers and supporters.

Remembrance of sailing ships and their splendour

by Barista Uno | Oct 15, 2020 | Maritime Art, Culture and History, Shipping | 0 Comments

Let’s face it. The ships of today can’t hold a candle to the splendour of the sailing vessels that used to roam the oceans. Certainly not the monstrous mega cruise ships or the dreary container ships often celebrated in the shipping world. Here’s a nostalgic look at the former beauties of the sea as portrayed by various artists.

Waterfront photos from the distant past that will captivate you

by Barista Uno | Sep 7, 2020 | Latest Post, Photography, Shipping | 0 Comments

Why anyone would want to linger inside a mall mystifies me. Malls are cold and boring, even dispiriting. There is more life, more energy on the piers and wharves as the following old photographs show. Time has taken its toll on some of these pictures. Yet each one still speaks volumes about the vibrancy of commerce on the waterfront and the sedulous stevedores who keep the cargoes moving.

COVID-19 and the failings of global maritime treaties

by Barista Uno | Aug 27, 2020 | Seafarers' Rights and Welfare, Shipping | 0 Comments

The COVID-19 pandemic has stirred chaos in the shipping world the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Thousands of seafarers stranded at sea; cruise ships with infected passengers shooed away from ports; and everywhere, frantic calls to do something about the situation. It all brings to mind a line from William Butler Yeats’ poem ‘The Second Coming’: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.”

10 maritime maxims born of the COVID-19 pandemic

by Barista Uno | Jul 6, 2020 | Seafarers' Rights and Welfare, Shipping | 0 Comments

There is an upside to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst strewing death and misery along its path, the coronavirus has cast light on the real character of individuals and nations, of entire institutions and industries. Here are some facts about the shipping world that it has brought into sharper focus:

Stranded seafarers: Shipping industry’s collective failing

by Barista Uno | May 6, 2020 | Seafarers' Rights and Welfare, Shipping | 0 Comments

As the coronavirus pandemic drags on, thousands of seafarers are stranded in various ports and harbours around the world. It is a hellish situation. The indefinite isolation is enough to cause stress, anxiety, and even depression amongs crew members.

Whatever happened to ILO Maritime Labour Convention, 2006?

The maritime upside of the coronavirus pandemic

by Barista Uno | Apr 25, 2020 | Health and Fitness, Shipping | 0 Comments

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and shadows will fall behind you,” according to an old saying. The coronavirus may have cast a long shadow, and the crisis may be far from over. But for those who look at the brighter side, there is an upside to the COVID-19 pandemic even for the hard-hit shipping sector.

Five maritime truths the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted

by Barista Uno | Apr 9, 2020 | Health and Fitness, Shipping | 0 Comments

There is plenty to learn from the coronavirus pandemic beyond its medical aspect. How individuals and nations have been responding to the crisis speaks volumes about 21st century politics, the global economic order and human nature in general. In the shipping world, COVID-19 has highlighted some basic truths which many have probably taken granted.

7 maritime headlines that will grab your attention

by Barista Uno | Jan 24, 2020 | Manning and Training, Media, Communications and Language, Shipping | 0 Comments

“To a philosopher all news, as it is called, is gossip, and those who edit and read it are old women over their tea.” Thus wrote Henry David Thoreau with unconcealed disdain for the press. The truth, however, is that most people are hungry for news and will gobble it up even if it is gossip disguised as news. Maritime professionals are no exception. The following are some headlines that should make them sit up and take notice:

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