The value of seafarers has rarely been subject to so much debate and dispute. Crew wages are set to become the largest ship-operating costs in 2010 and 2011, according to a survey carried out by international accountant and shipping consultant Moore Stephens. The news came in mid-November, just as the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) vowed to take action against so-called 'flags of convenience' (FOCs), which it claims are exploiting seafarers - an accusation that broadly encompasses mariners' wages and their working conditions.
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