Abandoned Ships

Regarding your informative Dec. 23 article on abandoned cargo ships, you quote economist Greg Mastel that abandonment is “the ultimate statement that the world doesn’t need that ship.” Of course, the germ of truth in Mastel’s statement is that abandonment of these ships does reflect the drying up of trade. But, far more important, his statement and the article miss the core moral issue: the failure of the ship owners to follow through on their responsibility to their employees. Abandonment, therefore, is really the ultimate statement of how some people can cast off other people without a shred of regret and how the availability of bankruptcy lets them get away with it.

And if that’s not enough, these ships can also pose serious risks of harm to the ocean environment. If the world were a fairer place, owners who abandoned their crews in foreign lands with wages unpaid would be compelled to use their own assets, if feasible, to set it right.

RICHARD C. SOLOMON

Santa Barbara