Why would any writer advocate seafarers’ rights for years when there’s no money in it for him? I can give three good reasons for my doing so, and none of them has to do with the fact that seafarers man the ships that transport 80% of global trade.
First, I have seen the myriad ways by which seafarers are abused and treated like commodities. Some of them are so egregious that one is filled with anger and anguish. I was particularly shocked by the accidental death in 2012 of 22-year-old engineer cadet Dayra Wood on board a Panamanian-flag product carrier. While her body was stored in the ship’s refrigerator like a piece of mutton, the vessel was allowed to sail for two weeks through Panama and thence to Mexico.
I have seen the myriad ways by which seafarers are abused and treated like commodities.
Second, the shipping press has not done enough to promote seafarers’ rights and to highlight the abuses committed against those who work at sea. Many editors and reporters would rather focus on successful business deals, glitzy maritime awards, and overhyped crewing conferences (aka, talkathons). How many write about double bookkeeping or the use of cadets as unpaid labour?
Third, some maritime organisations are seen as sacred cows which shouldn’t be if one is to be honest about seafaarers’ rights. Virtually no one, for example, criticises the International Maritime Organization for refusing to give free online access to the full text of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). The IMO policy is such a disservice to seafarers. It constrasts sharply with the ILO practice of making all ILO conventions available online for everyone to read and download.
Writing candidly about seafarers’ rights can be a lonely undertaking. I’m not even sure if seafarers care much about the subject. Even so, I consider it important enough to keep harping on. I remember the words of the noted American novelist, John Steinbeck: “The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.”
~ Barista Uno
