Elizabeth Rynecki shares about the important role oceans and trading goods play in our everyday lives.
What does the banana I ate for breakfast, the clothes I put on this morning and the laptop I used to write this all have in common? They all arrived by ship. In fact, many of the products we consume — from beverages and books to cars and condoms — make their way to us via the oceans. But it’s not just physical goods that travel by sea. Our language is also steeped in salt-kissed sayings with maritime origins including “toe the line,” “loose cannon” and “even-keeled.”
As the daughter of a ship salvage engineer, I grew up hearing stories of how my dad rescued stranded ships. Once it was a barge at Ocean Beach, but more often they were on waterways halfway around the world. Now when I see cargo ships in the Oakland Estuary, I can’t help but think of the risks of trans-oceanic trade while marveling at the constant flow of ships moving in and out of our ports. It also makes me wish people would pay more attention to the shipping industry.
Four years ago, when the “Ever Given” container ship blocked the Suez Canal in Egypt, disrupting global trade for six days, I thought maybe we’d all finally started paying attention. Journalists reported about the fragile economics of shipping and greenhouse gas emissions. Late night comics poked fun at the image of a single ship gumming up the global economy. But once the ship was freed, the world’s attention quickly shifted elsewhere.
Given the sheer scale of global trade and the indispensable role cargo ships play in our economies, it’s urgent that we all get smarter about the maritime industry. The next time you sip a cup of imported coffee or relax on your couch (yes, the one that arrived through one of our busy ports), take a moment to consider the vast ocean highways that made it all possible. While tech trends and world politics dominate the conversation, it’s the oceans that truly shape our lives. The sea may be out of sight, but its influence is everywhere. With a Perspective, I’m Elizabeth Rynecki.