Topic 1.1 - Combatting "Sea Blindness"

Welcome to the introductory session of the course "Introduction to Seafarers' Welfare and Maritime Ministry", brought to you by the International Christian Maritime Association, ICMA.

In our work to foster excellence among in maritime ministry, this course is designed to be an introduction to key issues you will face. This course is set up with 6 topics, some online and some in class. There are a variety of lecturers, but I will be on hand to guide you through all the work from class to class.

This introductory session is entitled “Combatting ‘Sea Blindness’.” This class is meant as an introduction to the world of seafarers welfare, especially to help us better understand the lives of the approximately 1.5 - 1.75 million men and women who work on ships across the world.

In the opening video of this module, British journalist Rose George, author of the best-selling Ninety Percent of Everything, cites the first Lord of the British Admiralty who said that most of us suffer from “Sea blindness”. That is, we don’t see our oceans, lakes and rivers as places of industry and work. Indeed, she says, “for such an enormous industry...it has become pretty much invisible.”

Please watch the video now (English subtitles and transcript are available on the video in Youtube).

The idea that the shipping industry has become “invisible” to most people directly impacts the work of caring for seafarers. Where does “sea blindness”, that is “blindness to the work of seafaring” come from? How should we understand it? How will it affect our work? How should we combat it?

To begin, please complete the introductory reflection questions below. You will receive a link to view others' answers once you have completed yours.

Lets learn more together! Welcome to the course!

For further reading:

Rose George, Deep Sea and Foreign Going/Ninety Percent of Everything. 2013.

The Maritime Industry Knowledge Center.

Containers. An 8-part podcast by Alexis Madrigal.

Adolfo Arranz, Marco Hernandez. "The Discovery of the roundrip and the beginning of globalisation," South China Morning Post, May 6, 2018.

Gary Peters, "Sea blindness: UK maritime in the public eye," Ship Technology, June 19, 2017.