Mr Sadler’s modest proposal
Shipping, in its fragmented aspects, often resembles certain districts in the western Balkans.
So the news that our friend Richard Sadler, chief executive of Lloyd’s Register, has proposed a coalition of major shipping organisations is balm for the persistent frustration that many of us feel, when we blame everyone else for not getting things fixed.
I fully support his idea.
Since my endorsement of any new idea has, I hear, been considered by some persons to be tantamount to the seal of doom, let’s examine Richard’s suggestion while there’s still time.
Richard would like to see a coalition of interests emerge, that will among other things define shipping’s role in international commerce.
I believe that he is right. While one must surely respect the separate status of the various national… Continue reading
Are we surprised by lack of respect?
Michael’s excellent post on the total lack of respect for a master has generated some truly shocking feedback and I wish that more people like Capt.Rowe would comment on what is an increasingly infuriating situation. Continue reading
Oil and the artic: The maritime part of a high-stakes tug of war
The complexity of how oil gets produced involves exploration, development, technology, maritime transport, pipelines and lots and lots of money. And politics. Continue reading
Our new Hamburg rules
Attendees at the Global Maritime Environmental Congress (GMEC) held in Hamburg earlier this month were able, during the course of an excellent programme, to discuss many of the maritime issues that demand to be addressed in a constructive way: openly, frankly and publicly. Continue reading
What rights do foreign seafarers have in US?
Many foreign visitors to the United States have experienced a degree of discomfort, during what are described as “customs formalities”, that adds a ringing climax to the customary torment of modern travel. Continue reading
A [belated] welcome to the Portfire 40 initiative
When we first set out to establish this blog we put the key values of Clean seas, safe ships and environmental protection as our mantra and launched a ‘ginger group’ to convey our thoughts , but we really wanted to use the maritime community to drive these goals and help shape opinion. Continue reading
Running the risk
So this week, I’m in Hamburg for the bi-annual shipbuilding and ship machinery behemoth that is SMM and have been kindly asked by Jochen Deerberg to speak at his new environmental conference that runs parallel to the exhibition. Continue reading
Wi-fi in ports is a must for seafarers
I am delighted to see that my fellow World Maritime University board member and crewing agency head, Doris Ho is making good progress with her campaign to get seafarers access to wifi while they are stuck aboard their vessels in ports. Continue reading
Flexibility is vital for future ship design
A memorable description of how a ship is planned, designed and built is in “The Building of the Ship”, written by a poet named Longfellow in the late 1840s: Continue reading
The trial lawyers’ payday comes to the Bayou
As an American lawyer, my heart rate naturally goes up when I think about large-scale litigation. My professional pride also swells to see that our legendary legal ingenuity is not a thing of the past. Continue reading
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