Shipowners are campaigning under the flag of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) for an end to intolerable pressure on ship captains to ignore the plight of shipwrecks on the high seas.
Such well-documented incidents are increasing, and literally thousands of people are believed to be lost at sea every year as desperate migrants in the hands of people-smugglers head for the industrialised world in unseaworthy craft. Ships rescuing their occupants take on serious financial risks as many countries refuse to allow such passengers to disembark or impose heavy fines on shipping companies if their vessels come into port with illegal migrants on board. This has led to cases of murder at sea.