Random Writings of Others

  Justifying the unjustifiable By Michael Grey Nobody should be surprised that there has been something of a fight back by ship operators after the World Maritime University’s research earlier in the year showed up widespread “adjustment” in the recording of seafarers’ hours of work and rest (see A Culture of Adjustment). It was a shocking report, although it merely gave chapter and verse to what is reality aboard so many hard-pressed ships, with exhausted crews. But as reported in the Nautilus Telegraph, rather than looking constructively at the WMU’s recommendations to make seafaring more humane and 21st century, the shipowners’ representative at the Maritime Labour Convention Special Tripartite Committee sought to denigrate the report as unfounded. ( https://www.nautilusint.org/en/news-insight/telegraph/fatigue-another-inconvenient-truth ) Adopting the time-honoured strategy of suggesting the research was suspect because of its sponsors and dubious methodology, the owners’ repre...