Clare got himself installed as writer-in-residence for Danish shipping giant Maersk.

He first travelled from Felixstowe to LA on the huge Gerd, a 9,000 TEU container ship built in 2006.

Later, feeling that he wanted to experience storms and the more grimy end of seafaring, he took to the smaller, and rustier, Maersk Pembroke on its route between Rotterdam and Montreal.

  • Filipinos make up the biggest proportion of crew and are paid significantly less than their European and Indian colleagues for exactly the same work.
  • There’s very little shore leave from container ships - they are generally docked and loaded in just a few hours.
  • Taking a ship into port in the US involves a lot of bureaucracy. All food must be sealed and locked away, the whole ship must be cleaned, any wildlife must be removed, and the rudder needs fully testing before a ship can approach the shore.
  • Birds land on ships in port and survive the journey from port to port.
  • Officers on ships work in watches of four hours on and eight hours off. Junior officers work the 8-12 watch as senior officers are most likely to be available.
  • Ships are flagged in convenience countries not just for tax reasons, but also because investigations are unlikely to be carried out in the event of an accident.

The book was easy reading but Clare focused on the people and, depressingly, on the loss of life at sea. He never missed an opportunity to talk of people being drowned, crushed, or fried. There was also little on the business side of things, the art of navigation or engineering. Labour issues and the history of deaths at sea were the main focus.