French artist Alfred Guillou depicted the horror of being shipwrecked and drowning at sea in his heart-wrenching 1892 painting, Adieu! (pictured above). Today, life is imitating art as people continue to flee from Libya to seek asylum in Europe. Thousands have died on...
The noble tradition of saving lives at sea, which British engraver Henry Edward Dawe depicted in his 1832 print They're Saved! They're Saved! (pictured above), is under attack. This year, two German captains of rescue vessels operating under the umbrella of Sea-Watch...
I was a bit shocked when I recently watched the RT television report about German boat captain Pia Klemp facing charges in Italy for aiding human traffickers. She and her crew are credited with rescuing more than a thousand North African migrants who tried to reach...
On 7th June the remaining 11 crew of the MV Albedo finally tasted freedom after being held captive for 1,288 days by Somali pirates. No doubt, they'll be sought out by journalists for interviews. An enteprising author might even write a book about their ordeal. But...
We've always admired the Japanese people for their aesthetic sense and their grace and good etiquette - qualities which are embodied in their tea ceremony (chanoyu or the "Way of Tea"). Tokyo-based JX Shipping Co Ltd has reminded us of another gentle facet of the...
Zwei Hände (Two Hands) by Vincent Van Gogh, 1885 Altruism has never been the strong suit of the shipping industry. There's even a shortage of it. Fortunately, charity and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) are still very much alive - thanks to various maritime...
We don't know how many of our readers have noticed. People say 'Happy Valentine's Day' or 'Happy Mother's Day' but not 'Happy Day of the Seafarer'. And yet, the 25th of June is supposed to be a day for showing our love for the men and women who toil at sea - just as...
If there's an Air Pollution Index, a Corruption Perception Index and a Poverty Gap Index, why not a Greed Index? It is, after all, human greed that fuels the despoilation of the environment, drives government officials to steal and increases the divide between the...
Some Britons say their maritime industry has declined and that the nation has even lost its love for the sea. Yet, London is arguably still the shipping capital of the world. It is home to the International Maritime Organization (IMO); the Baltic Exchange; and the...
Hong Kong is such a mercantile place that one would think the locals do nothing but make piles of money. Not so. Last week, the HK shipping community turned out in force for the second Sailors' Society gala fund-raising dinner at the Island Shangri-La Hotel. Their...
"As from a heap of flowers many a garland is made, even so many good deeds should be done by one born a mortal," says a verse from the ancient Buddhist scripture, Dhammapada. Well, another garland has been made by Filipino-owned International Container Terminal...
It's amazing how public relations is conducted by some organisations the way it shouldn't be. We recently attended a social function at a large manning office in Manila. The company's PR lady and some senior managers mingled with the press and tried to make them feel...