There once was a time when the Captain of a Ship inspired awe. He was someone who had so much powers that once the his ship cast off the jetty, he was He. God. There was not much the owner of the ship or the cargo could do but trust Him to get the ship home. He sometimes was part owner too. His crew were no better than slaves unless He was the benevolent sort. If he didn't like your face, he could make you walk the plank! Well He could. He may not because he needed you to scrub his quarters clean.
He ran the ship the way He wanted. Everyone else just got round to accepting it.
And now, I wonder if he has not become a Slave. A mechanical robot signing away on redundant weather messages and irrelevant Navtex messages.
( the text progression:
1. Show how powerful the captain was. How skilled he was. A man maanger. The final word.
Used to be part owner.
Now he has become powerless. He has lost his skills of management. He cannot or need not make decisions)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
We don't want to live in fear.
While I was sailing, the CSO had asked us for our views on armed guards. And I had developed a rationale not in favour of armed guards.
I was concerned because of
1. the risks inherent in these arms by just placing them on-board.
2. The risk of the pirates using even more dangerous weapons in response, leading to
increased risk of crew injury or death.
3. How trained are these guards? How can my company who would employ them vet them?
4. How will I as someone with no training in use of such weaponry authorise the use of these arms. And if it doesn't need my authorisation, then will that amount to ceding command to someone else?
5. If there is a fatality following the use of these arms, how am I going to show that there was an imminent threat that precipitates the use of such proportionately dangerous arms. Or is there no need to show such threats? In which case can't I go on a shooting spree?
6. Where do I as the Master stand in what could be alleged to be a cold blooded brutal murder? What if I were implicated and the world puts its arms up and disowns me?
This was a view I held for a while during which I had replied to the CSO's query. But very soon, my views changed. It started with a conversation with another sailing Master. And then the many times my heart skipped a beat when a fishing boat came towards you only added to my anxiety. Once somewhere east of the Rondo Island, the CE wanted the engine stopped for repairs, and as I slowed down I had a boat start its engines and head towards me. And I had my heart in my mouth. I increased speed again. Very soon I realised that they were harmless fishing boats. But how do I know. And I was no where close to a country called Somalia.
And we had no citadel.
And then I started slowly thinking how would it be if I had armed guards. They could fire warning shots. They could puncture the boat. They could potentially save us.
I fully understand why no organization including the IMO is committing to armed guards.(IMO has urged states to facilitate the passage of ships with armed guards- # Egypt#) But I think they too should understand why we feel safer with them on-board. We don't want to be keel hauled. We don't want to be hanging by our feet with our heads under the sea. We don't want bullet holes in our body. We don't want to be sodomized. We don't want to live in fear.
My vote is for armed guards. Please don't say no if we ask for armed guards.
I was concerned because of
1. the risks inherent in these arms by just placing them on-board.
2. The risk of the pirates using even more dangerous weapons in response, leading to
increased risk of crew injury or death.
3. How trained are these guards? How can my company who would employ them vet them?
4. How will I as someone with no training in use of such weaponry authorise the use of these arms. And if it doesn't need my authorisation, then will that amount to ceding command to someone else?
5. If there is a fatality following the use of these arms, how am I going to show that there was an imminent threat that precipitates the use of such proportionately dangerous arms. Or is there no need to show such threats? In which case can't I go on a shooting spree?
6. Where do I as the Master stand in what could be alleged to be a cold blooded brutal murder? What if I were implicated and the world puts its arms up and disowns me?
This was a view I held for a while during which I had replied to the CSO's query. But very soon, my views changed. It started with a conversation with another sailing Master. And then the many times my heart skipped a beat when a fishing boat came towards you only added to my anxiety. Once somewhere east of the Rondo Island, the CE wanted the engine stopped for repairs, and as I slowed down I had a boat start its engines and head towards me. And I had my heart in my mouth. I increased speed again. Very soon I realised that they were harmless fishing boats. But how do I know. And I was no where close to a country called Somalia.
And we had no citadel.
And then I started slowly thinking how would it be if I had armed guards. They could fire warning shots. They could puncture the boat. They could potentially save us.
I fully understand why no organization including the IMO is committing to armed guards.(IMO has urged states to facilitate the passage of ships with armed guards- # Egypt#) But I think they too should understand why we feel safer with them on-board. We don't want to be keel hauled. We don't want to be hanging by our feet with our heads under the sea. We don't want bullet holes in our body. We don't want to be sodomized. We don't want to live in fear.
My vote is for armed guards. Please don't say no if we ask for armed guards.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)