Don't forget the seafarers and the fishermen

SO that's another year nearly wrapped up. For many, Christmas and New Year offer a respite from the normal work routine. While Singapore may carry on relatively normally, the shipping hubs of London and New York are pretty much closed from Christmas Day to Jan 4.

For those at sea, though, work carries on as usual, and so do the risks. The dangers seafarers face were brought home a week ago by an accident just a few watery miles from Orchard Road, in Indonesian waters close to Batam.

The chemical tanker Stolt Commitment collided with a general cargo ship, the Thorco Cloud, which sank. Six of the general cargo ship's crew were rescued but six are still missing.