The Outlaw Sea: A World of Freedom, Chaos, and Crime

International waters begin a few miles past the coast. The areas are truly international. Often a ship is registered in country while owned by residents of another country. The crew will often hail from multiple countries (often whereever labor costs are low). And then the ship will likely sail between a few totally different countries. There are different regulatory bodies involved. However, often the worst problems occur when ships are obeying the letter of the law. Outlaw sea explores some of the issues that happen out in the open seas by focussing on a few anecdotes. Commercial shipping is not a preofession for the faint at heart. The conditions are not great. However, the pay is relatively great for many of the crews that hail from low-income countries. Alas, pirates also can recruit from those same places. Pirate crews have captured ships and avoided detection in the wide open ocean. The shpis themselves have their share of problems. The book details the sinking of the Baltic Ferry Estonia in detail. There are also stories of environmental devastation. In one case, a ship was forced out, only to end up making a big mess in the ocean. In the case of the Exxon Valdez, the oil spill prompted important improvements to ships (like double hulling.) This has positive and negative impacts, but would probably not have helped prevent the oil spill. Finally the book ends with the end of ships. These days, many ships are just rammed on the coast of India where workers pick apart the valuable scrap. It is dangerous work. However, it is also a valuable source of employment for the many workers there. "Dry-dock" ship breaking in western countries is much more expensive, but it may do a better job protecting the local environment. (Though it may actually have a greater negative environmental impact in other ways. Those first world workers are driving to work and burning more fossil fuels.) The current situation is full of conflict. One one hand, it is a fairly optimal use of labor and resources. The Indian ship breakers require fewer resources and are able to more cheaply recycle the ship. On the other hand, this has negative impacts to their local environment. It is also dangerous, with many workers killed or injured. In spite of this, there are always plenty of workers lining up to take their place. They don't want the outsiders telling them how to manage themselves. It seems fitting that a ship can't even leave this world without stoking additional international conflicts.