In the rare instance that such cases get covered in the press, they are dismissed by industry spokespeople as aberrations, or they get watered down by discussions of the inevitable bureaucratic challenges that are distinct to transnational and offshore commerce. Those workers are independent contractors and not our responsibility. Those ships are flagged to another country. A manning agency should be handling their repatriation and pay. The shipowner, not the industry, should be held accountable. And so on.
