Flags of Convenience

“What flag is your ship flying?” asks the inspector from the International Transport Workers’ Federation. He is an Indian, and his job is to deal with crews working on ships flying Flags of Convenience.
“Panama?” responds the Filipino captain uncertainly.
“I thought it was Chinese,” says the inspector.
The captain leans out of the porthole in the mess where we are gathered and looks outside.
“Yes, it’s Chinese,” he admits with a little laugh.
“No, I meant the owners are Chinese, from Taiwan. The flag is Hong Kong’s,” points out the inspector.
“What’s your cargo?” continues the inspector.
“Lots of different things, I’m not sure exactly,” replies the captain, spreading his arms wide.
“No one's complaining. Everything’s fine,” says the captain when the inspector asks to see the crew’s contracts.
“No one's complaining. Nothing is OK,” rebuts the inspector.
These fragments of a conversation sound like a poker game in which everyone is trying a pathetic bluff on board a ship anchored in Bangkok’s harbour. But this is not one of those ghost-ships that cross paths in some remote Asian dock. This is an 11,000-ton gross tonnage ship built in Japan in 2007. It continuously sails the same route between Taiwan, Saigon and Bangkok.
In the meantime, the captain has called his ship-owner, a certain Mr Chu. And the inspector, his Delhi office. And while these useless conversations take place, a few Filipino sailors glance indifferently into the room to see what is going on.
“No one is complaining,” repeats the captain. “We have to support our families.”
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