{"text":[[{"start":6.84,"text":"The writer is chief executive of The Seafarers’ Charity"}],[{"start":10.52,"text":"Few of us will ever have to decide whether to journey into a war zone to earn a living. Yet this is the reality for many of the world’s 2.5mn merchant seafarers. We rely on them for the food on our shelves, the fuel at the pump and the medicines in our hospitals. But the past month alone has shown just how dangerous their job has become."}],[{"start":30.84,"text":"In the Black Sea, merchant ships have been struck by drones off Bulgaria and Romania, with vessels sunk and seafarers killed or missing. In the Strait of Hormuz, attacks on shipping have been constant in a conflict that has already killed at least 24 civilian seafarers. The Seafarers’ Charity sees the families torn apart, the lives changed forever, and the trauma that seafarers carry with them."}],[{"start":54.6,"text":"As things stand, extra cash is propping up the system. Around 90 per cent of global trade travels by sea, and keeping it moving depends on seafarers being willing to sail, sometimes in extraordinary circumstances. Reports of captains being offered salaries of up to $100,000 a month and $50,000 bonuses, or crews earning five times their normal wage, show the stakes."}],[{"start":78.96,"text":"For seafarers, who spend months away from home to support their families, large bonuses for taking on exceptional risks can make a real difference. Responsible ship operators recognise that those facing such risks must be compensated accordingly. But money cannot make a dangerous voyage safe, and it must never override the protections that are a seafarer’s right."}],[{"start":100.44,"text":"Existing safeguards give civilian seafarers in designated high-risk areas a framework of important rights. These include the right to refuse a voyage, to repatriation, and to additional compensation, including for their families, if they are killed or seriously injured. Whatever the intention, large additional payments, especially if negotiated outside this framework, may leave seafarers feeling they must accept risks they would otherwise refuse."}],[{"start":126.68,"text":"It is easy to say that anyone worried about the risks should just refuse to step on board. But turning down a job could mean losing a significant opportunity to earn. When your family depends on your wages, how easy is it to refuse?"}],[{"start":140.52,"text":"Shipping operators face tough decisions too. Currently, many are making significant profits from the high rates they can charge customers to move goods through dangerous areas. Yet if the situation deteriorates, it may become impossible for ships to enter or leave areas such as the Strait of Hormuz or the Black Sea. Operators would then be forced to reroute, delay or suspend voyages, potentially incurring significant costs and disrupting supply chains."}],[{"start":168.38,"text":"In short, there is a limit to what high pay can achieve, and those involved in conflicts that affect seafarers seem to underestimate what is at stake. The consequences of local attacks on merchant shipping ripple across the world."}],[{"start":181.52,"text":"Think of the recruitment challenge the industry already faces. Research this year found that an additional 113,735 qualified officers will be needed by 2030. If we want to attract the next generation to a career at sea, we must show their lives and wellbeing are valued."}],[{"start":198.78,"text":"The international community and shipping industry must act together to protect seafarers from attack, uphold their rights, and ensure they receive the support they need. This will be essential to securing the skilled, resilient maritime workforce that the world needs."}],[{"start":213.64,"text":"At our charity, we see how those who return home remain affected by what they have lived through. Some suffer from night terrors that take them back to the dangers they faced on board. Helping seafarers recover, through targeted support both at sea and on shore, must be part of the maritime industry’s response."}],[{"start":231.32,"text":"Seafarers deserve fair compensation for the risks they face. But above all, they need security, protection and the assurance of a fulfilling career. They are the people who keep world trade moving and their safety must come first."}],[{"start":248.04,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793517185_5931.mp3"}