Sinking ships and drowning morals
Ocean book blog: Dead in the Water, by Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel
I thought this would be a book about the lawlessness of the ocean, but it turned out to be just as much about the ruthlessness of capitalism. How money trumps morals, and future business opportunities justify turning a blind eye to anything — even murder.
Why this book is also about you
This book shines a light on the world of Greek ship owners and London insurance syndicates. Greek companies own around 18 percent of the global merchant fleet (compared to Japan’s 11 percent and the US’s 3 percent). Almost all these ships are insured through London’s Lloyd’s syndicate. The authors point out that if you listed the worst maritime catastrophes of the last century, nearly all would end up as claims at Lloyd’s.
So, it’s easy to think that this story isn’t particularly relevant for you or me. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Around 80 to 90 percent of global trade is transported by sea, so almost anything you touch has travelled fully or partially over the world’s oceans. This particular story features an oil tanker, shipping the fuel that powers our lives whether we like it or not. As we all love a bargain and let costs heavily influence our decisions, there is a relentless drive to cut costs. This has created a world where it’s often cheaper to buy something new than to repair it. Ships included.
Moral rot
The book reads like a detective novel, meanwhile educating us about the hidden world behind our everyday goods. It details high-level crimes and the systems that enable them. Using the example of one ship and one incident, the authors lay bare the moral rot embedded in the shipping industry’s foundations. This industry, responsible for transporting nearly everything we eat, wear, and use, treats human lives as disposable if we allow it to continue unchecked.
Get Titia Sjenitzer’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Having worked on combatting illegal fishing and modern slavery at sea, I am aware what a wild west the ocean can be. I am also well versed on the corruption that takes place in our global supply chains, and the ferocity of the finance industry. Yet this book shocked me, mainly the shamelessness of it all.
Favourite quote
The lawyer asked what went wrong.
“Do you want the truth about what happened, or the facts?”
the shipowner replied. To him, the two were rarely the same. The facts were what happened; the truth depended on your perspective, and your interests.
This is part of my blog of ocean related books. Please applaud and subscribe if you like it, and let me know if you have any recommendations for what I should read and review next. I particularly welcome suggestions for books from authors with a diverse perspective.
