Turbulent Waters

"Mr Myles, pick up the phone. Please. This is a very urgent matter."

Myles Parsons gets the call in Vancouver. At the other end of the line is John DeGuzman, a cook onboard a German-owned vessel docked at the French port of Brest. Can Parsons help? The Filipino crew complain of poor food, withheld wages and routine abuse from the Romanian captain.

It's all in a day's work for Myles Parsons, a seasoned seaman and an inspector for the International Transport Federation, fighting for seafarers around the world.

Turbulent Waters takes us below deck to meet the men who toil at the grimy heart of the global economy. Whether it's petroleum, wheat or computer keyboards, over 90% of international trade moves by sea. Yet the men whose labour is the lifeblood of world trade reap few benefits. Every year over 2500 seafarers die on the job.

Many work in dangerous conditions on ships flying flags of convenience, a common practice whereby companies register vessels in countries with low labour standards and corporate taxes. Seafarers who speak out are often blacklisted, which can end their careers. This hard-hitting documentary exposes the reality of international shipping, while giving voice and dignity to the men who risk their lives to bring us the goods we need.