Ships
Langewiesche expounds, “Expressing that freedom are more than forty thousand large merchant ships that wander the world with little or no regulation, plying the open ocean among uncountable numbers of smaller coastal craft and carrying nearly the full weight of international trade-almost all the raw materials and finished products on which our land lives are built.” Ships are omnipresent symbols in the water bodies across their globe. They are utilized in relaying various categories of cargo in diverse destinations. Without ships, long-distance water transport would be impossible. The vast capacities of the ships make it ideal for transporting cargo of immense value.
Oil
Langewiesche writes, “For five days it (Argo Merchant) sat there, battered by the waves, within view of television camera, threatening the New England coast with ecological catastrophe. On the sixth day it broke apart, spilling its entire load and creating a six-thousand-square-mile slick that-merely by chance-drifted out to sea.” Oil spillage is catastrophic for the environment, specifically the marine life. Ships verifying oil often contribute to pollution when the oil leaks into the waters. It is not possible to reverse the spillage and its aftermath considering that the water mixes with oil. Although oil is a valuable commodity for economies, it is detrimental to the marine ecosystem especially when it is conveyed using unworthy ships that are susceptible to breakage.
‘Gold and Jewelry’
Langewiesche illustrates, “Some of the first people to follow Rolf Sormon and his three female companions outside onto the nearly empty promenade were brazen thieves- a band of young Estonian men who took advantage of the confusion to tear the gold chain off Sorman’s neck and to strip the cash and jewelry from the women…They were confident, as criminals tend to be, and they must not even have considered that the ship might trap them, though the best evidence is that it did.” The valuable ornaments are triggers of criminality in ships. The thugs target passengers donning them due to their high value. Rampant criminality makes ships unsafe for passengers. Furthermore, once the ship has departed, the passengers' options for escaping are minimized; they are compelled to give up their valuables.
Pirates
Langewiesche explains, “But the pirates, rather than shoving them overboard, removed the blindfolds from their eyes. Ikeno found himself looking three feet down onto the deck of a small freighter that had come up alongside.” Pirates denote the insecurity at sea. Ikeno and his crew are vulnerable because the pirates are heavily armed; hence, could easily exterminate them should they not cooperate. Pirates target vessels and hijack them to make financial gains. They are outlaws who rule the seas and oceans as if it were their territory. Sailors and crews are exposed to risks due to the threats posed by the pirates whose activities and strategies are unpredictable.
Paperwork
Langewiesche explains, “Worse, from the point of view of increasingly disillusioned regulators, the documents that demonstrate compliance are used as a façade behind which group or companies can do whatever they please… the documents are as authentic as can be.” Paperwork has contributed to lawlessness in the sea because it is exploited by companies whose intent is generating profits only. Accordingly, a vessel may be certified as compliant and safe but in reality it is unsafe. Paperwork cannot be relied upon to disclosure the true status of a vessel, due to the great corruption that governs the entities in charge of issuing the certifications.
