Maritime Security and Marine Financing

by Kenneth Gale Hawkes

At 2300 hours, a container ship lies anchored outside the Port of Santos, Brazil. The night is overcast, the sea is dark, and this is the third night at anchor for the vessel and her nervous crew. Her presence is no secret, nor is the cargo carried in the shipping containers lashed on deck and secured in her holds. The manifests have been circulating throughout the port community for weeks.

The master has posted an additional security watch to warn of the pirates – or are they assailing thieves, he can’t remember which legal term applies – he fully expects to appear, but he knows the gesture is useless in any event. He has no means of protecting his vessel, her cargo, or even her crew. He carries no firearms or other weapons of any kind. His instructions, as always, are to let any pirates who come aboard take whatever they wish, and he is not to allow any member of his crew to resist. The shipping company will reimburse the crew for any lost personal items, and the cargo underwriters will cover the losses to the cargo. So, in the long run, everyone will be made whole, and there is no reason to try to thwart an attack that might otherwise be perfectly preventable. The crew remains safe. Consignees are only slightly inconvenienced. Cargo underwriters and P&I clubs will eventually fight it out in court, which will make the lawyers happy and rich, and the pirates – poor, downtrodden scoundrels that they are – will be able to feed and clothe their impoverished families until the next ship arrives.

This is only an excerpt of Maritime Security and Marine Financing

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