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By Louis Martel* The United States has a long history of implementing protectionist trade policies, often realizing in hindsight that such measures ultimately hurt Americans. The latest example is the Trump administration’s proposal to impose exorbitant port fees on Chinese-built vessels that dock at U.S. ports – a shortsighted policy that is poised to have […]

By Michael Grey* “Unfriendly natives” – it said, recalling a previous visit, but the Old Man, worrying about the reaction of the pilot, demanded that the Third Mate erase this scurrilous observation, even though he subsequently agreed with its accuracy. It is not the first time they have featured as a source of seafarers’ exasperation,

By Michael Grey* Do seafarers have any human rights, in an era where worthy folk are always shouting about this supposed entitlement for those who live safely on land? You have to wonder, when you learn about some of the disgraceful treatment meted out by the authorities around the world to those who have aroused

By Michael Grey* With everyone slowing down to save both the planet and fuel we should not be surprised that the expeditors among us are more anxious than ever to cut corners to make up for all those lost hours on passage. Some are undoubtedly sensible, such as becoming more expert at timing an arrival

By Michael Grey* You have to hand it to the Houthis, for their ability, with limited resources, to cause an extraordinary amount of trouble in the world. From financial crises in Egypt, with the Suez Canal now working part-time, to weather-induced casualties on shipping diverted around the Cape, it is all down to their malevolent

By Yoan Marier* The consequences of a marine accident are not just felt in the moment that the disaster strikes or the harrowing ones that quickly follow. They are also felt in the next days, months, years, and, sometimes, decades. We have seen this in the case of the loss of containers overboard and fire