This volume offers a systematic account of the effects of globalization on the shipping industry and seafarers' lives. The seafarers' labor market is changing rapidly and this study discusses the challenges encountered in recruitment practices, trade unions, and collective bargaining, as well as training, certification, and fraudulent certification. Wages, contracts, and tours of duty are also investigated, and the book includes in-depth treatment of seafarer safety and hazard exposure. Innovations such as automated engine rooms and the global maritime distress and safety system, the internationalization of ship registrations, multinational crewing and reductions in crewing levels, and the rise in ship management companies have had a profound effect on seafarers' living and working conditions. This perceptive book examines these and future issues for regulation and enforcement.
'Voyages of Abuse is a most useful and much needed addition to the ocean literature ... The book is extremely well written and painstakingly documented ... The detailed case histories will shake some consciences.' Elisabeth Mann Borgese, Founder and Honorary Chair for Life, International Ocean Institute, Malta'This book is a fine contribution to the ongoing debate about global governance in shipping and will doubtless help in persuading those who remain opposed to the notion that with flag state rights come flag state responsibilities.' David Cockroft, ITF General Secretary'Professor Couper is well known in maritime circles for his passion and commitment for the welfare of the men and women of the sea. This book is a valuable addition to the cause of seafarers and their human rights. I warmly recommend it to all those who have the wellbeing of the shipping industry at heart.' Rev Jacques Harel, General Secretary, International Christian Maritime AssociationVoyages of Abuse details the deplorable conditions that exist in a minority sector of international shipping operating mainly, although not exclusively, under flags of convenience. In a horrific account of human rights abuses that would be little tolerated in the countries of the shipowners, the authors demonstrate that governments often pay little attention to cases of robbery, abandonment, deprivation and even death perpetrated by these shipowners or on vessels bearing their national flag. The financial and shipping institutions that support substandard shipowners are also prepared to ignore the plight of the individual seafarer serving on the ships under their tenure.The authors draw on case studies to illustrate the issues, including a perspective on Adriatic Tanker Company of Greece and examples of incompetent management and the reckless finance provisions in merchant shipping. The authors also examine the plight of seafarers' families, who are particularly vulnerable, and the legal rights of abused and abandoned seafarers. They conclude by arguing for a global governance of shipping.
This book focuses on contemporary women seafarers at a global level. It looks at issues surrounding the working conditions and welfare of women, from both developed and developing countries, employed aboard the world's merchant and passenger ships. Using research commissioned by the ILO, the book considers women's participation levels in the industry, and examines policies concerning their recruitment, training, maternity and employment rights, and other aspects of work and life at sea. It also gives first-hand accounts from women seafarers describing how they have dealt with discrimination, sexual harassment, parental disapproval and an array of other difficulties.The study examines the practices and policies of national and international regulatory agencies, employers, trade unions, and maritime education institutions. A series of recommendations that may further help the integration of women into shipboard communities is included.
THE STORY: THE SEAFARER is a chilling new play about the sea, Ireland, and the power of myth. It's Christmas Eve, and Sharky has returned to Dublin to look after his irascible, aging brother who's recently gone blind. Old drinking buddies Ivan and
The Seafarer’s Mind is a wonderful resource for seafarers. The book is rich in narrative and case studies and covers a wide range of issues and challenges facing sailors on the high seas. A hard hitting account which unpacks the realities of a modern version of indentured labour, the author provides hope in the often harsh world of seafaring. This is a practical guide to living in isolating and confined situations where temptations abound and moral compasses are often abandoned. Martin Otto is the world’s leader in serving seafarers through his international mission work. He is to be commended for being God’s advocate in such an insightful, humble and practical manner. This book will become a widely read text and is sure to become a key reference for all seafarers seeking to live a Godly life in an often harsh and unforgiving environment. I recommend it wholeheartedly. Professor Ross Dowling AM Global Cruise Ship Lecturer Perth, Australia
The first sailors braved the North Sea and the Baltic in open wooden boats: their aims were varied - to fish, to trade, to conquer and plunder. Without maps or compasses, they steered by the sun or by landmarks on the coast. Nevertheless they discovered Iceland and North America and explored the rivers that flowed through Europe and Russia into the Black Sea. With the Frisians and the Vikings, extensive trade routes, better ships, larger harbours and wealthy coastal towns developed. The pinnacle of these advances was the Hansa, a commercial network that ran from Bruges to Riga. In recent years archaeologists have discovered much about the development of their ships: the elegant Viking longboat, the ubiquitous cog, the carrack and the caravel. Much, too, has been revealed about life in Viking settlements and the bustling Hanseatic cities. In this engaging and highly-illustrated volume, Dirk Meier brings to life the world of the medieval seaman, based on evidence from ship excavations and contemporary accounts of voyages. Dr Dirk Meier teaches ancient and medieval history and is Head of Coastal Archaeology at the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany.
This open access book constitutes an ethnographic mosaic which depicts the contextual complexities of the life and work of seafarers who are employed in the international merchant cargo fleet. The collection is based upon the observations and interviews of researchers in multiple disciplines. It is woven together to offer a richly detailed insight into the ways in which a complex global industry operates internationally. The book covers issues to do with career decisions and recruitment, gender, life and work on board multinational vessels, health and safety issues, the regulation of the industry, shipboard roles and role conflict, and the representation of workers. It will be of considerable interest to all students globally who are studying for professional seafaring qualifications, to graduate students studying for masters courses in ship and port management, and to welfare professionals and policy makers. It is of special interest to those connected to the shipping industry who specialize in issues relating to 'the human element' and will serve as a paradigm defining text in this area.
What keeps capitalism afloat? The global ocean has through the centuries served as a trade route, strategic space, fish bank and supply chain for the modern capitalist economy. While sea beds are drilled for their fossil fuels and minerals, and coastlines developed for real estate and leisure, the oceans continue to absorb the toxic discharges of our carbon civilization - warming, expanding, and acidifying the blue water part of the planet in ways that will bring unpredictable but irreversible consequences for the rest of the biosphere. In this bold and radical new book, Campling and Colás analyze these and other sea-related phenomena through a historical and geographical lens. In successive chapters dealing with the political economy, ecology and geopolitics of the sea, the authors argue that the earth's geographical separation into land and sea has significant consequences for capitalist development. The distinctive features of this mode of production continuously seek to transcend the land-sea binary in an incessant quest for profit, engendering new alignments of sovereignty, exploitation and appropriation in the capture and coding of maritime spaces and resources.
The importance of international maritime labour law - both as a component of - ternational maritime law, and in socio-political and economic terms - has been recognised by the IMO International Maritime Law Institute for a number of years. Indeed, the Institute has annually organised a course on maritime labour law with the participation of inter alia the International Maritime Organization, the - ternational Labour Organization, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, and the German Shipowners’ Association. It was therefore a great pleasure when the authors invited me to introduce their forthcoming monograph on Maritime Work Law Fundamentals: Responsible S- powners Reliable Seafarers. As the title suggests, a fundamental challenge of this branch of international maritime law is to achieve a balance between the interests of the two main stakeholders. Institutionally, the effort to achieve this balance dates back a number of decades with its genesis mainly found in the work of the International Labour Organization. It has to be said that whilst this effort achieved great progress, it has led to a haphazard, plethora of legal instruments.
