Taken for Granted

Secondary to the pirate/hostage story successfully played out off of the coast of Somalia is the public’s newfound awareness of the merchant shipping industry. Countless pictures of the Maersk Alabama have been shown on television and splashed across the front pages of the world’s newspapers. Some additional human interest was generated locally as the captain and second in command were New England natives and graduates of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Intermodal transportation methods operate in relative obscurity except for the sensational news story. It takes a Tom Hanks movie or a plane crash to get a glimpse into the inner workings of the air express business, a flaming wreck of an oil tanker on an interstate to learn more about the trucking industry, the derailment of a freight train in a city neighborhood to learn about rail, or pirates capturing a container ship off of the coast of Africa to show that there is a thriving merchant fleet.

Freight is constantly in motion, and most gets delivered on time and without a hitch. We often take that for granted and the drama of the last week shows that some of the times it is not just that easy. Some may feel that after the Navy arrived on the scene of the hostage drama the Maersk Alabama was asked to go on to their final destination in Kenya as a safety measure. Maybe it was, but I’m thinking at the same time there was freight that needed to be delivered, and it was already delayed.

What I don’t think we take for granted is the heroism of the Navy Seals who put an end to this hostage drama in such a professional and thorough manner. Well done.