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Those firmly on the loosing side are the crew, typically Indians and Philippinos, who now live in perpetual fear. Not seen a news report about them yet.
100% echo your sentiments about the crews, who are too often forgotten in scenarios such as these or piracy. However, I think the impact of seizures is pretty far reaching, from the military cost through to cost of goods.
hugo7
@starfish&coffee
The news reports concerning Iranian arrests of oil tankers kind of grinds my gears. Shipping has long been a nasty business, typically with little sense of ethics or corporate social responsibility. The majority of these tankers will have flags of convenience, such as Panama or Liberia, and their accounts are deeply hidden in shell companies and tax havens. Their contribution to the public purse in Europe or North America is laughably small.
To the extent that the seizures affect "us" it's mostly that some rich Western dude risk making a bit less money when his cargo is delayed. But then again, security conerns will eventually increase shipping fees so at the end of the day they might be better off on the whole.
Those firmly on the loosing side are the crew, typically Indians and Philippinos, who now live in perpetual fear. Not seen a news report about them yet.