Rose George is a journalist, and although she paints an excellent story of her voyage on the Maersk Kendal her ability to understand seagoing life is somewhat limited.

The main thorn in my flesh was the consistent use of incorrect seagoing language – no we do not have ceilings, they are deck head, we don’t have walls we have bulkheads, and although Radio Officer has now gone we never had a radio operator!

British Military Supply Vessels do not exist, it is the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Wave Knight, and it is irritating inaccuracies like this that is most annoying about the book. I appreciate that Ms George is not a member of any marine body but I would expect any self-respecting journalist to check the terms used carefully.

Enough said about the language of the sea… In other areas the book was well researched, especially about the pirates of Somalia, Mission to Seamen and sea ecology. Quite interestingly she does highlight the idiocy of having to provision these pirates in their skiffs if found at sea and not to blast them out the water.

I found that the ecology and sea life fascinating, but it had little to do with life onboard the Maersk Kendal apart from having consistent digs at the fumes emitted from the merchant ships at sea.

Finally it is radar assisted collisions and not VHF assisted collisions, bon voyage and good reading.

Richard Fernley