Literature
In Chapter 3, George, in Ninety Percent of Everything, writes about the life of seafarers from the 1900s to the present. In bringing to life the world of the seafarers of the 1900s, George writes that there was so much at stake before the advent of technology. Who would have thought that life at sea could have been so tough, when all people do, is talk about the adventure and pleasure of travel that is associated with it. This, she says, is far from true. Carrying cargo from one corner of the earth to the other involved a lot of physical and mental strength. Each person aboard the ship had their own responsibilities, and any dereliction of duty could cause a catastrophe. In earlier days, it took a lot of personal effort to safely bring cargo from one port to another. Even when these containers in which cargo were carried reached a shore safely, they were handled by stevedores. In many instances, these stevedores would deliberately punch holes in the cases of whisky and pour them into their tin mugs. This practice, she says, in a relieved tone, has stopped, and today, cargo is safeguarded not by dockers, but by an officer of the ship who ensures that they are firmly pinned down in their stacks by twist-lockers. Life on the ship can be tough, and all personnel on board, goes through highly exhaustive and responsible work patterns. One reason for this can be attributed to lay-offs that occur from time-to-time. George then talks about the multi-cultural presence on board the Kendal. Like in most other cargo ships, the Kendal too has a number of Filipinos, Chinese, Russians, Ukrainians, Indians and Pakistanis. So, why do cargo ships have such a diverse crowd on board? This, she says, is because, “a single nationality crew will inevitably be some sort of microcosm of the society from which they are drawn, and might therefore carry within them, the conflicts of that society” (p.58). However, not surprisingly, the number of Europeans and British seafarers is low, because of the exorbitant salaries they demand. The shipping industry too has had its share of problems because of the recession. Captain Glenn says that his salary too has been reduced considerably and this will continue for much longer as most European and American merchant ships have stopped operations. The effect is so tremendous that, in 2009, Lloyd’s List reported that Maersk had sent a memo that stated ‘Zero Recruitment in Europe’ (p.59).
Merchant ships operate with just about enough crew to man and operate it. However, when recession struck, the number of crew was drastically reduced by ship operators to cut down on operational costs. This affected the remaining crew on board the ship, who then had to multitask. This became a serious issue, as accidents due to human error began to grow alarmingly. Captain Glenn of Kendal said that his grievances were compounded by the fact that his ship’s operations had been affected due to the cut down on manpower, wages and victualing. Substantiating Captain Glenn’s view, George writes that because of the cut down on manpower, the surviving crew members of the Kendal had to work a 98-hour week. At times, the crew of Kendal has worked for more than that but did not register that in the log. Overwork led to fatigue, and when fatigue set in, accidents began to occur. When the Exxon Valdez hit Alaska’s Bligh Reef in 1989, spilling eleven million gallons of crude oil, the Maritime Labor Convention, also known as the Seafarers’ Bill of Rights, reduced the work of seafarers from the standard 98-hour week to 72 hours. The job of a seafarer is tough and a thankless job. Everybody takes the life at sea for granted, little realizing, how much sacrifices they make to ensure that the life on land goes on smoothly. Motivation is a huge challenge and the crew on board the Kendal revel in activities like watching movies, listening to music, reading books and playing games. In chapter 4, George looks at the heroics at sea, the difficulties associated with laws governing ships flying a third country flag, and its advantages. She gives a descriptive version of the events that led to the sinking of Danny F II, and how Captain John Milloy, Alan Atkinson and Gary Baker opted to stay on board the sinking ship while the rest of the crew jumped to safety. She then looks at the legal hassles one may experience when confronted with trying to elicit information in international waters. This is highlighted by George when she covers the futile effort of Martin to find the whereabouts of Alan Atkinson, his twin brother. When it came to ‘The flag of convenience,’ or the flag registry, as shipping sources would rather like to call, the advantages outweighed the negatives multitude. A ship operating with a third country flag could “recruit crew from other countries, pay lower taxes, enjoy fewer labor restrictions and union diktats” (p.79). It’s not for nothing then, that the ITF calls the flag of convenience, “a corporate veil” (p.81). She quotes Martin who says that, “There’s something like two thousand people a year getting killed at sea, but it’s not grabbing anyone’s attention. Once you’re outside the twelve-mile limit, you do your own thing.” (86-87) This just shows how callous people can be when it comes to shipping. Using the flag of convenience, many countries flaunt safety issues and show only an inclination to adding profits to their treasury. George’s attempt to revive the interest in her readers can be commended, but is it really effective from the point of view of her effort? I doubt it very much because, even though she has taken abnormal pains to reveal details about the issues of legal embattles, it would be a miracle if this information reached even 5% of the population. Will the merchant shipping industry, like I wrote earlier, fade into the history books and become story books for children to read and understand the way they do dinosaurs today? I am not overtly excited by my own submission that it could, but with more effort.
In Chapter 5, George continues with her obsession of writing about the difficulties associated with shipping. She writes about emission controls, balancing containers to give the ship the right balance while maneuvering through rough waters and canals, and about pirates. While writing about emission and environmental issues, she quotes the International Maritime Organization, which calls maritime transportation as, “a relatively small contributor to atmospheric emissions” (p.91). Ships do emit a sizable amount of CO2 into the atmosphere, and now, after studying the cause and the need to cut emission, steps have been taken to reduce the speed of these ships. Then she writes about the containers being lost at sea and companies being sued for environmental damage and goods. These issues arise because of the logistic difficulties associated with balancing cargo containers on ships to provide balance and stability to the ship. The Suez, she reflects, has been notorious for loss of containers. This she says is a herculean job and is taken care of by the chief officer of the ship.
Reference
George, R, (2012), Ninety Percent of Everything, Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company, Macmillan, New York, p.2-47
