Categories
Real life stories as a flight service specialist (FSS): Inukjuak FSS

The cockpit of a KLM Boeing 747 during a night flight over the Atlantic

(Precedent story: a kitchen used as a navigation aid to aviation)

Cockpit and crew view of a KLM B747 on a night flight from Montreal to Amsterdam (EHAM) . The picture was taken while the aircraft was mid-point over the Atlantic ocean, in 1983.
Cockpit and crew view of a KLM B747 on a night flight from Montreal to Amsterdam (EHAM) . The picture was taken while the aircraft was mid-point over the Atlantic ocean, in 1983.

There was a time when it was very simple to visit the cockpit of an aircraft in flight. A request was made to the stewardess, who then coordinated with the captain. Even during this period though, several companies forbade those visits when the plane was over the ocean.

In 1983, during a journey from Montreal towards Holland, I decided to take a chance and ask the on-board staff the dreaded question, hoping to be able to take a picture of the cockpit.

The flight was being made on a KLM Boeing B747. In the middle of the night, while the plane had been at cruising altitude for several hours and most of the passengers were asleep, I discreetly asked the flight attendant the authorization to visit the cockpit. Naturally, she refused. I tried again, telling her that I was working as a flight service specialist (FSS) for Transport Canada in Inukjuak, and that I regularly talked with KLM to provide air traffic services. To dissipate any doubts, I finally gave her the KLM call-signs that I was dealing with over Northern Quebec.

She agreed to deliver my request and, twenty minutes later, I was told: “come with me but pay attention not to wake the first class passengers installed near the spiral staircase which leads to the cockpit “. As I entered the cockpit, the captain turned around, greeted me while he crunched in an apple and returned to his work. Everything was quiet in the cockpit and we could hear a continual light whistling caused by the air friction.

After a short discussion with the crew, I asked both pilots and the flight engineer to close their eyes a short moment while I took a photo with flash with my Pentax KX. A photo impossible to take today, under the same circumstances, due to higher security standards.

And, since I started my annual holidays by visiting a cockpit, I thought it would also be interesting, once in Holland, to visit the famous miniature world of Madurodam, so as not to stay away too long from the aviation world…

The miniature world of Madurodam, Holland 1983
The miniature world of Madurodam, Holland 1983
Madurodam, Holland 1983
Madurodam, Holland 1983

For more real life stories of a FSS in Inukjuak, click on the following link: Flight service specialist (FSS) in Inukjuak

Categories
Flight Simulation

Flight simulation: Parry Sound (CNK4) to Toronto Billy Bishop (CYTZ)

Flying over Toronto downtown shortly before the landing in Toronto Island (CYTZ)
Flying over Toronto downtown shortly before the landing in Toronto Island (CYTZ)

I recently added, in the standard virtual flight section, a flight leaving Parry Sound for Toronto Billy Bishop.Here is an opportunity to learn a bit more about the Great Lakes region in Ontario. The Parry Sound airport, from ORBX, is a first creation by Vlad Maly for this province. The runway length is 4000 feet. Just beside the airport, there is a lake, Robert’s Lake (CRL8), with many cottages, floatplanes and sailboats that are visible when you select the appropriate season. The lake also offers 4000 feet for takeoffs and landings.

The actual flight has been made while the clouds were low enough that the flying altitude forbid the adequate reception of the Toronto Island (Billy Bishop) NDB (257khz) in the first half of the flight. A touch-and-go was made at Toronto International (CYYZ). MyTraffic2013 provided the airport with many AI aircrafts. Once over downtown Toronto, it was now time for Pilot’s FS Global 2010 to automatically install a maximum of buildings, for more realism.

On final for the Toronto Billy Bishop (Toronto Island) airport (CYTZ)
On final for the Toronto Billy Bishop (Toronto Island) airport (CYTZ)
Landing at CYTZ with the CN tower in the background (FSX)
Landing at CYTZ with the CN tower in the background (FSX)

Finally, theToronto Billy Bishop (formerly Toronto Island) was modified by ORBX in order to make it more interesting and alive. You will thus find, on arrival, some staff to take care of the refueling process. Somes vehicules have also been added. Naturally, MyTraffic2013 took charge of AI aircrafts as CYTZ is quite a busy airport and needs some air traffic to enhance the realism.

Time to refuel at Toronto Billy Bishop (CYTZ)
Time to refuel at Toronto Billy Bishop (CYTZ)

I wish you a good flight, if you wish to try it out. I would suggest though, for a more interesting experience, that you install ORBX FTX Global Vector on your computer, as the Microsoft Flight Simulator (FSX)software does not do a good job when it comes to representing the Great Lakes area. ORBX Open LC for North America further improves the flying experience.

For more articles on flight simulation on my web site, click on the following link : Flight simulation

Categories
Real life stories as a flight service specialist (FSS): Inukjuak FSS

A kitchen used as a navigation aid to aviation in Inukjuak

(Precedent story: the UFO invented in Inukjuak in 1983)

Inukjuak during a blizzard that forbid landings for days.
Inukjuak during a blizzard that forbid landings for days.

The winter 1982-1983 was fierce in Inukjuak (CYPH), in the Nunavik. There was a period when the winds were strong enough and the visibility reduced to the point that a rope had to be attached between the staff house and the flight service station. A Transport Canada flight service specialist (FSS) had to hold a rope to guide himself from one building to the other. And good luck to the FSS who would try to carry his meal on a tray between both buildings. A hand held the rope while the other one took care of the tray which was going in all directions. On one occasion, tray and food found their way in the snowbank.

Due to strong sustained winds, snow sometimes reached the roof top of the Inukjuak flight service station.
Due to strong sustained winds, snow sometimes reached the roof top of the Inukjuak flight service station.

After a storm which seemed endless, I remember that the employees had to dig steps in the hardened snow in order to reach the flight service station door.

We sometimes had to dig in the snow to free the door and enter in the Inukjuak flight service station
We sometimes had to dig in the snow to free the door and enter in the Inukjuak flight service station

This blizzard, which lasted twelve days, had prevented any takeoff and landing. There was no more milk for sale in the Inuit village, as it was now reserved for children. Hardly one hundred feet over us, there was a perfectly blue sky, according to the pilots who had tried to land on multiple occasions. But one morning, an Austin Airways pilot decided to risk an approach.

A red square was useful to help the employees find a building during a blizzard in Inukjuak.
A red square was useful to help the employees find a building during a blizzard in Inukjuak.

The pilot could not benefit from any precise navigation aid during his approach, as the airport was only equipped with an NDB. So he trusted his local knowledge and what was left of his judgment. He knew that the staff house was painted green and situated just beside the runway. I guess that he prepared himself to aim for the colored staff house then make a sharp turn at the last minute. He dived into the storm, estimating the wind drift as much as he could.

At that same moment, our cook was working in the staff house’s kitchen. He was facing a huge bay window and was stunned to suddenly see the nose of a Twin Otter appear a few meters away from the window at the same time as a steep turn was being made to avoid the building. Reverse thrust was immediately applied to immobilize the plane as fast as possible. The cook repeated what he witnessed to every employee. I guess that helped him to unwind a bit.

As this was not enough surprise for the day, the plane’s doors opened and, instead of the much needed milk cargo expected by the villagers, we witnessed about ten passengers stepping out the plane and chitchatting like nothing ever happened. This unorthodox approach to the Inukjuak airport would now be one more story added on top of all the others told by pilots offering daily air service to northern Quebec villages along Hudson Bay and Ungava Bay coasts.

(Next story: the cockpit of a KLM Boeing 747 during a night flight over the Atlantic)

For more real life stories of a FSS in Inukjuak, click on the following link: Flight service specialist (FSS) in Inukjuak

Categories
Photography

Night Photography

Empress Hotel at dusk, Victoria Harbor, Canada 2014
Empress Hotel at dusk, Victoria Harbor, Canada 2014

1. Ensure you bring : tripod, remote cable, flashlight and timer.

2. Use of RAW (.TIFF) is highly recommended. There is a greater potential for corrections afterward, if something is not according to your taste.

3. Noise reduction activated on the camera.

4. If the winds are calm: ISO between 50 and 200.

5. If there are strong winds: ISO 400 might be useful to avoid a blurred picture caused by the continual small vibrations of the tripod due to a long exposure. That is why a heavy tripod is always preferable.

Trailing lights on boulevard Champlain, Quebec City
Trailing lights on boulevard Champlain, Quebec City

6. If you wish to take a picture of people moving at a normal pace, and you have access to quality lenses, it will often be necessary to use ISO 800 to get a clear shot. This setting could allow the shutter speed to be adjusted at about 1/200 which is plenty to obtain a picture that is not blurred; that is unless you are not using a long focal like 200mm or more.

7. For people shots, it is better to have your back to the remaining light on the horizon, unless your goal is to capture a silhouette.

8. For extended exposure, use the autofocus “one shot” setting until it stops working due to insufficient light. Then use manual focus. Or use manual focus all along, with Liveview, if you prefer it that way, for extra precision.

9. Mirror lock-up function must be activated to avoid vibrations caused by the shutter action.

10. Use a remote cable when taking the picture to avoid useless vibrations.

Old Québec at dusk
Old Québec at dusk.

11. If you wish, you might think of selecting a specific AF point to ensure a better focus if there is a small area that matters the most to you in the picture.

12. Do not use the FULL AUTO mode during night photography.

13. The three most important modes are 1. Aperture (taking care of slightly overexposing for surrounding lights) 2. Speed 3. Manual. There is one more reason to overexpose a bit if you work with the RAW format: there is more data information in light than in shadow, so once the picture is taken you have access to more data to play with to adjust the dark sections of the picture.

14. If you expect an exposure longer than 30 seconds, use BULB mode.

15. Night pictures are best taken using the camera bracketing funtion (-1,0,+1) and this, every two minutes.

A Christmas tree in Sillery
A Christmas tree in Sillery

16. The best period for night shots is 15 minutes after sunset, until official night time, which you can find on the internet. As this period is quite short, it is important that you know in advance what is of interest to you and where you will position yourself when comes the time for the picture.

17. Total darkness is not what is the most favourable in night photography. But you can certainly obtain interesting results using black and white.

18. Beware of surrounding light reflection in your lens.

19. Histogram has to be reviewed to ensure that there is no serious overexposure.

20. It is preferable to choose an aperture between F11 and F16 for maximum sharpness as well as an adequate depth-of-field.

21. If shooting a subject against the remaining light over the horizon, there might be quite a contrast in lighting between where you stand and where your subject is positioned. You might think of using grad filters (3-6-9-10) to help correct this huge light difference, or you can transform the standard photo session into an HDR one. Or both! There are also filters specifically designed for sunrise and sunset periods that can improve your shots.

Paris, Le Marais 2013
Paris, Le Marais 2013

All the photos were taken with a Canon 5D MKII

Categories
Photography

Aperture, ISO and Speed

A Decision Has to be Taken

You must decide the ideal combination between the following: aperture, speed and ISO. All three are interrelated and choosing one has a direct influence on the other two.

You are facing a beautiful landscape in which you want everything to be in focus: you decide that the aperture is what matters the most. Choosing aperture as the priority is a very popular choice. Let’s consider that you choose F16, which should give you a very interesting depth-of-field but will demand a lot of light. You have to compensate somewhere. If there is not much movement in the scene, and you have access to a tripod, you might decide to choose a slow speed, which allows more time for the light to enter the camera. Doing so, you won’t need to crank the ISO and you will avoid adding useless noise to your picture.

In the picture below, aperture is set at F16. The vegetation in the left corner draws the viewer’s eye toward the pedestrians, and then progressively to the quai des Cageux. We finally see the Quebec bridge, the longest cantilever bridge in the world.

Quai des Cageux, Québec 2012.
Quai des Cageux, Québec 2012.

If you decide that speed is a priority, you will have to compromise ISO or aperture. ISO will have to be increased to improve light sensibility, but doing so will increase the size of the grain in the picture. Depth-of-field will have to be adjusted as well since a higher speed does not let much light enter the camera. You won’t be able to pick F16 this time. So you will eventually find that there are some out of focus areas in your picture. With a bit of practice, you can be less demanding on the speed, providing you can follow the subject with your camera (it is like if you were slowing down the subject, so less speed is required).

The picture below was a bit particular: it was taken when I was on a boat rocked by waves. The eagle was far away and was traveling in the opposite direction, thus increasing the relative speed of the subject. The Canon 5D MKII was hand held and 400mm focal was necessary. Speed was crancked at 1/1600 and the ISO required was set at 5000. Naturally, the grain in the picture being larger, slightly diminishes the quality. This was a necessary compromise if the eagle was to be taken in flight.

Eagle observed in the Campbell River region. Summer 2012.
Eagle observed in the Campbell River region. Summer 2012.

It is getting dark and you want a photo with absolutely no noise and you decide that the aperture is what matters the most. You make no compromise and choose ISO 50. This setting requires a lot of light, because the lower the ISO, the higher the demand for light. In order to make sure that your picture will not be blurred, a tripod will be necessary, since there will be an extended exposition time. In the picture below, the shutter has been opened for ten seconds, with a 9.0 aperture, 200mm focal and 50 ISO. Only the small branches in the foreground are blurred.

Note: in general, it is better to use a tripod as often as possible, even in daylight, in order to optimize quality. Choose a heavy enough tripod to prevent vibrations under windy conditions. A light tripod is easy to carry but does not allow for acceptable pictures in adverse weather. It’s obvious that this Queen Mary II photo would not have been as precise if a light tripod had been used. In this case, it would have meant that continual vibrations would have been recorded during 10 seconds. The boat would have been totally blurred.IMG_0617 - Resize Queen Mary 2 Québec 2012 watermark eng

Categories
Real life stories as a flight service specialist (FSS): Inukjuak FSS

The UFO invented in Inukjuak in 1983.

(Precedent story: assertions concerning the massacre of sled dogs during the fifties and sixties)

An Environnement Canada employee is launching a weather balloon in Inukjuak in 1983
An Environnement Canada employee is launching a weather balloon in Inukjuak in 1983

When I was working as a Transport Canada flight service specialist (FSS) in Inukjuak (CYPH) (Nunavik) in 1983, I witnessed the creation of a most improbable UFO. According to its duties, the Environment Canada staff at work in the upper air station had to launch, twice a day, a free-rising balloon which could go up to approximately 70,000 feet. These hydrogen filled balloons were pulling a radiosonde which was transmitting data such as wind speed and temperature at all altitudes.

One day, an observer attached a small battery on the probe as well as five battery fed bulbs. The balloon rate of ascent was corrected to take into account the additional weight of the new equipment. Finally, at darkness, the whole installation was launched. The only thing an observer on the ground could see in the sky was five lights moving quickly together while maintaining the same spacing. The speed and height of the unknown formation were impossible to determine since there was no ground reference.

Observed from the ground, this UFO could be either at 100 feet or at a very high altitude. The object was totally silent and seemed to be moving like nobody’s business. A UFO is now identified, decades later.

(Next story: a kitchen used as a navigational aid)

For more real life stories of a FSS in Inukjuak, click on the following link: Flight service specialist (FSS) in Inukjuak

Categories
Screen captures

An approach at the Denver international airport

An Airbus A340-500 on final for the Denver international airport
An Airbus A340-500 on final for the Denver international airport
An Airbus A340-500 is landing at the Denver international airport
An Airbus A340-500 is landing at the Denver international airport

The two screen captures show a CLS Airbus A340-500 CLS on approach for a landing at the Denver international airport. This airport has been created by Flightbeam Studios. The shadows on the ground are possible through the Cumulus X software. If you want to obtain those effects, ensure to set the cloud cover to “scattered” clouds, so that the sun can reach the ground and create thermals. FSX is the platform I used, and the clouds are managed by REX.

The CLS Airbus A340-500 replicates quite well the inertia that a pilot has to deal with in real life. The engine sound is also quite interesting. Naturally, this virtual aircraft is dating a bit, so don’t expect to obtain multiple original angles if you like to press that V key while flying.

Categories
Screen captures

A Pilatus PC-21 in Kenai, Alaska

A Pilatus PC-21 heads for a landing at Kenai airport, Alaska, after a training session (FSX et Cumulus X)
A Pilatus PC-21 heads for a landing at Kenai airport, Alaska, after a training session (FSX et Cumulus X)

In the present screen capture, the Pilatus PC-21 is a creation of IRIS, while the background scenes (SAK) and Kenai regions are ORBX products.The clouds are being managed by REX. This picture has been slightly modified to improve the lighting. IRIS PC-21 is an excellent aircraft and numerous point of views are provided for the screen captures fans. The operating platform comes from FSX, helped by Cumulus X.

Categories
Real life stories as a flight service specialist (FSS): Inukjuak FSS

Allegations about the massacre of sled dogs during the fifties and sixties.

(Precedent story: acquisition of an Inuit sculpture in Inukjuak in 1982)

Canadian eskimo dogs in front of a house in Inukjuak in 1983
Canadian eskimo dogs in front of a house in Inukjuak in 1983

When I was working in Inukjuak (CYPH) in Northern Quebec as a flight service specialist (FSS) for Transport Canada, in 1982-1983, I liked walking along the Hudson Bay coast. One day, I got for company a big Canadian eskimo dog belonging to an Environment Canada employee. The dog had found a way to free itself from its leash and I took advantage of his company to explore the coast.

It was not and still isn’t frequent to witness unattended dogs on a territory inhabited by Inuits. During summer, the latter normally carry the dogs on nearby isolated islands along the Hudson Bay and Ungava coasts. Naturally, the Inuits come back at regular intervals to feed them. This was still going on in 2013 as it serves multiple useful purposes. According to an Inukjuak Inuit with whom I was discussing recently, the island allows the dogs some freedom of movement since they don’t need to be tied all day long to a short rope. Also, the dogs are more comfortable on the islands since there is far less mosquitoes.

In 1982, I heard rumors according to the fact that dogs left free might be brought down, but I did not witness such a thing. Local policy was such that stray dogs would not be tolerated because they presented a threat for the population. Of all that has been said concerning dogs that were brought down for the most diverse reasons, the recurrent story is the allegation of massacres of Eskimo dogs during the fifties and sixties. The documentation found in this respect states that about one thousand dogs were brought down during those two decades, most pointlessly, in the various villages along Hudson Bay, Ungava Bay and Davis Strait.

An interim report about the investigation on this subject was handed in 2009 to the Makivik Corporation and to the Government of Quebec by the retired judge Jean-Jacques Croteau from the Quebec Superior Court. We learn of this report that the RCMP as much as Sûreté du Québec police forces had participated in the elimination of sled dogs during those years, by interpreting in a personal and fairly restrictive way a law dating from 1941 and dealing with “The Agricultural Abuses Act“. When it was created, this text of law aimed at creating a system of non-responsibility for a person who would shoot down a stray dog according to specific conditions stipulated in the text of law. Reference was made here to actions taken against stray dogs attacking sheeps and farm animals.

A Canadian eskimo dog (Jordan) in Inukjuak in 1983
A Canadian eskimo dog (Jordan) in Inukjuak in 1983

The police quickly made excessive use of this section of the law to apply it on a territory which was not targeted by the law. I can make a mistake, but I believe that nobody ever observed an Inuit sheep farmer on a farm in the Arctic. The most important events occurred after the RCMP gave back the responsibility of the territory to the Sûreté du Québec. That police force showed a complete misunderstanding of the Inuit culture. According to the proofs presented in the report, policemen arrived in a village without warning and killed stray dogs, chasing them even under houses, without having taken care of verifying if the dog was sick or dangerous. We find in the report the testimony of two Kangiqsujuaq Inuits asserting having seen two policemen arriving by seaplane, and without saying a word to whoever it is, begin to chase stray dogs through the village. Thirty two animals were eliminated and the policemen left the village without giving explanations.

The report states that the Northern Quebec Inuits were never consulted as to the impact of the law on “The Agricultural Abuses Act“, a totally inappropriate law for them, not taking into account their ancestral rights. The Inuits depended completely on dogs for transportation, to go hunting and fishing. We can read the following passage, in the last sections of the report: “after 1960, the actions and the behavior of the police force went too far. Nothing was to be understood. The officers demonstrated a total lack of consciousness with regard to the fundamental rights of the Inuits, their culture and the importance of dogs for their subsistence. The behavior of the officers, which could not be ignored by the provincial and federal civil administrations, had a damaging effect on seventy-five dog owners and their family, compromising their capacity to meet their needs in food “. No help was offered by the authorities to compensate for the loss of dogs.

The judge finally noted that he had no other choice than to declare that Canada and Quebec did not respect their fiduciary obligations towards the Inuits. I imagine that monetary compensations have since been offered, unless this report was only the first step in the process aimed at establishing the responsibilities and some future compensation.

(Next story: the UFO invented in Inukjuak in 1983)

For more real life stories of a FSS in Inukjuak, click on the following link: Flight service specialist (FSS) in Inukjuak

Categories
Business

Ninety percent of everything

The book "Ninety Percent of Everything" from author Rose George
The book “Ninety Percent of Everything” from author Rose George

 

If there was only a book to be read to learn about the unknown aspects of the maritime business, it would be “Ninety percent of everything” from Rose George. The New York Times says of this book that “it is consistently absorbing, timely as well as deft and that it cracks open a vast, treacherous, and largely ignored world“.

This book holds real surprises. The author was authorized to come aboard the container ship  Maersk Kendal to make the journey from Rotterdam towards Singapore, via the Suez Canal. The reader thus learns about the daily operations on these immense ships. But there is more: because the book is extremely well documented, links are established between significant facts of the maritime history and today’s events.

Maersk is Denmark’s biggest company and its sales are equivalent to 20 % of the gross national product of the country. Maersk’s fleet counts more than 600 ships. Its 2011 income was established at 60 billion dollars, which places it just under Microsoft.

Trade carried by sea increased by 400% since 1970. A majority of ships (68 %) navigate under flags of convenience, such as those of Panama or Liberia. It allows for tax reductions and the hiring of low wage immigrant workers. The seafarers are also less protected because the laws of a specific country differ from those in effect once the ships are in international water. The statistics show that 2000 sailors die at sea annually. On the flags of convenience black list: North Korea, Libya, Sierra Leone and Montenegro.

According to International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) ” the maritime and fishing industries “ continue to allow astonishing abuses of human rights of those working in the sector…Seafarers and fishers are routinely made to work in conditions that would not be acceptable in civilized society””. A striking example: a Manila company requires that seafarers looking for a job work for free for several months before they can be hired officially. It is worth reading this book, if only to acquaint of the MV Philipp seafarers story. The owners of this vessel, Vega Reederei in Germany, paid their Philippine sailors only a third of the agreed salary.

Given that a container ship can unload and reload thousands of containers within 24 hours, the crew does not have time any more to leave the vessel to profit from stop overs in the various countries like that was done in the past. A seafarer is confined on the boat for months.

There is no efficient way to know what is in all the containers. The United States receive annually 17 million containers and can inspect physically only 5 % of them. In Europe, the percentage is lower, between 1 and 3 %. This means of transportation is thus favored for weapons, drugs and human trafficking. Illegal weapons are regularly sent in separate parts, through several containers, and then reassembled once at the destination.

When a container ship goes through the Suez or Panama Canal, there is no rest authorized for the staff. The captain can be on watch for up to 36 hours in a row. The Suez Canal is nicknamed Marlboro Canal because of the packages of cigarettes handed to the customs officers, the police, the security guards and other official representatives in order to avoid delays that would immobilize the vessel for the most improbable reasons. The transit expenses, as for them, amounts to $300,000 for a ship the size of Maersk Kendal.

The Maersk Patras on the St-Lawrence seaway. The shot is taken from La Malbaie in 2012
The Maersk Patras on the St-Lawrence seaway. The shot is taken from La Malbaie in 2012

The reader learns about the facts surrounding the wreckage of several ships, among which the Danny FII and the Erika. He also acquaints with obligations that bind the companies when a maritime shipping accident arises. The bodies and conventions dictating these procedures are UNCLOS, SOLAS and MARPOL.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) considers maritime transport as “a relatively small contributor to atmospheric emissions”. However, if we consider the global scale of trade carried by sea, it then becomes a top issuer of greenhouse gases. The fifteen biggest ships were the cause, in 2009, of a pollution equal to 760 million cars. It is interesting to note that “seventy percent of the pollution occurs within 250 miles of land, near coastlines linked to busy shipping lanes […]. In Los Angeles, half of all smog from sulfur dioxide comes in from ships”.

Part of the book deals with hijacking at sea. Again, Rose George offers extremely pertinent information. She explains what the easiest preys are for the Somalian and Yemenites pirates and indicates that the cargo does not present real interest for the pirates. They wish only for the ransom. The chapter covers the adventure of Maersk Alabama, the recent hijacking of MV Golden Blessing, the international recommended transit corridor (IRTC) along the Yemen coast, the protection obtained by the EU-NAVFOR, the pirate’s behavior once aboard ships and the effects on the equipage, before and during the lengthy negotiations.

She unveils surprising information as to the ways negotiations are made during situations of K&R (Kidnap and ransom). The negotiators, often working from London, know the habits and particular requests of the pirates and kidnappers of every problematic region. They know what amount of money will be demanded and how long it will take to solve a crisis. Act too quickly and the demands will increase. If an owner agrees to pay a high amount of money within a short time, the sums are going to increase. The negotiators thus respect the established scales.

There are so many interesting subjects in this book. The reader even learns about the help offered by rare volunteers to needy sailors, during certain stopovers. It is also possible to learn about the increasing noise pollution at sea, a pollution which largely affects marine mammals. There is also a very interesting section covering rescues at sea and the exploits of the merchant navy sailors in period of conflict.

This is a book that I strongly recommend. You will not see a container ship the same way after reading “Ninety percent of everything “.

Title: Ninety percent of everything

Author: Rose George

©Picador Edition September 2014

ISBN: 978-1-250-05829-4