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Splash readers like to their express opinions, something we encourage. Here are some of the topics that have sparked the greatest debate recently

The big debate: crew pay An interesting concept

At a time of global inflation not seen for more than 40 years where household items prices are soaring, seafarers, repeatedly hailed by the industry as heroes during the pandemic, were granted a 4% pay increase in May for the coming three years. Cue heated debate among our readers.

Anastassios Copitsas argued: “Seafarers are trapped by, and have always been the victims of their own unions who sign the deals on their behalf.” He went on to suggest: “The maritime industry is chopping the branch of the tree it is climbing on.”

Don’t be ridiculous, fired in David Boffey, pointing out what the basic wages are in places like Sri Lanka and Manila.

“You are conflating local and global,” Boffey responded.

Not happy with this line, Carolyn Graham, a regular champion of crew rights, replied that the easiest way for shipowners to have been genuine about their appreciation of their sea staff over the past couple of years would have been to line their pockets.

“All this talk about seafarers and their contribution to world trade and how they kept and are keeping world trade afloat during the pandemic is just talk,” she wrote. Martyn Benson asked whether containerlines are becoming more like tramp operators?

“When there is high demand they pile in the tonnage and sort out the chaos later but when there is a dearth of cargo they pull back sailings and equally disregard their schedules,” Benson observed, going on to add: “Historically, shippers paid a reasonable price for a reasonable and committed service, rain or shine, but currently the container lines seem to operate on a feast or famine basis and roll their services with the market punches. Service frequency and reliability (as reported by a couple of the ‘consultants’) is said to be low but this is increasingly of the lines’ own choosing.”

Stat alert!

Mikal Boe, who heads up atomic maritime propulsion specialist Core-Power, had this little gem for readers: “Of the world’s fleet, about 20% of ships consume about 80% of the marine fuel, and hence cause 80% of the airborne pollution.”