Anarchy
When the government is far from interfering, sailors and pirates alike experience the anomaly of anarchy. Ships frequently operate according to extremely strict regulations and lines of authority for the simple reason that there are few resources available to leaders with which to maintain their authority or to enact discipline. Over and over again in these stories Langewiesche depicts the mass casualties which the chaos of anarchy allows after authority breaks down, whether this be aboard a pirate vessel in Indonesia or on the freighters owned by Al Qaeda.
Self-Preservation
With life on the line, the sinking of the Estonia results in a telling look into the human survival mechanism. The passengers aboard the vessel are thrown into chaos when the ferry starts to sink. Unlike other more famous wrecks, this one is not marked by the chivalry and adherence to procedure of the passengers. Parents leave their children behind. Likewise children abandon parents. The scene is of a free-for-all in which every person becomes dedicated to obtaining an advantage over the next guy, revealing the intensity of the instinct for self-preservation in the face of almost certain death.
Working Hazards
In the shipping industry workers take daily risks. Langewiesche sheds light on the often overlooked tragedy which is worker mortality. Over the normal course of their employment, the workers at shipping yards, sailors aboard vessels, and merchants who accompany their wares to trade all encounter the treacherous terrain of the sea. There is no way to ensure safety out on the water. More importantly, the shipping industry has largely remained neglected by labor unions and government regulation resulting in preventable deaths.
