90% of all we consume ...

It is claimed, and I have no reason to dispute this, that more than 90% of all we consume arrives in the UK by sea. It is an astonishing figure and the beginning of an insight into the scale of global trade that takes place, largely unrecognised by us, the consumer. In addition, there is no real awareness of the human costs involved to make all this happen.
The scale of global trade to sustain our way of life is mind-blowing and humbling when one becomes aware of the human costs. Wages within the shipping industry kept to an absolute  minimum to both keep the industry afloat and the prices we pay low. With safety standards often compromised, none of this is comfortable for us to know, which is probably why we don't bother discovering more than we need to.

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A recent holiday in Suffolk led us to Landguard Point, which lies at the mouth of the River Orwell in Felixstowe. As well as being a rather faded seaside resort Felixstowe is now the largest container port in the UK and handles 40% of all goods that arrive by sea. It is mind-blowing to observe the oversized ships arriving and slowly manoeuvring into place at the dockside, where that giant spider-like cranes unload the containers and huge numbers of tractors scurry around like ants moving containers into piles or onto the lorries queueing to transport these boxes around the country.

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While away I read 'Down to the Sea in Ships' by Horatio Clare, the result of two spells as 'writer in residence' on container ships run by Maersk, the large Danish shipping company. It catalogues his experience, along with the hardships and sacrifices that are borne by the seafarers who are away from home and family for months/years at a time and who do not seem to be treated well by their employers either.
It made me recall a visit made to a tanker docked in Fawley, Southampton, when I was a Director of the Sailors' Society (offering chaplaincy in ports around the world). The small crew had been at sea for months, had been at anchor in the Solent for days waiting for a berth to dock at and were berthed for such a short time the crew had no time to go anywhere. The Chaplains key task seemed to consist of providing SIM cards to enable the crew to contact family at home in the Philippines.
All this so we can more easily sustain our way of living!
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The Port of Felixstowe is Britain’s biggest and busiest container port, and one of the largest in Europe.
The port handles more than 4million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) and welcomes approximately 3,000 ships each year, including the largest container vessels afloat today – crucially, the port provides some of the deepest water close to the open sea of any European port. Around 17 shipping lines operate from Felixstowe, offering 33 services to and from over 700 ports around the world.