VIEWPOINT: THE SALVORS' LIFEBLOOD

摘要

THEY constitute an emergency service, which people who operate ships probably don't think about too often, but are very glad indeed that they are there when they need them. Professional salvors are finding life quite tough these days as there are fewer casualties that require their specialised skills, but ironically they are needed as much as they ever were, in a world that is pathologically intolerant to shipwreck and will demand that even if it is not possible to save a ship, somebody better clean up the mess and take it all away. The International Salvage Union (ISU), which represents most of these professional specialist operators, has been "repositioning" itself to reflect the reality of a sector which is firmly part of risk mitigation. You might think of the salvor these days as less of the fireman and more of the provider of specialist expertise that will contain the conflagration and save lives, property and the environment.