Perhaps one of the most sobering aspects of listening to New York Times journalist Ian Urbina describe his nationally applauded series on seafaring in the 21st Century is how little it differs from seafaring in the 17th century, or the 14th century for that matter.
Even with technology like GPS and satellite surveillance, Urbina will be reminding his audience, as keynote speaker for this year’s Sultana Downrigging Weekend, that piracy, slavery, and human trafficking are still alive and living well on the high seas. And while the larger cargo ships have drawn media attention, and at least one Hollywood movie with Tom Hanks, Urbina has, in hair-raising detail, focused on the smaller outlaw fleets now operating in Southeast Asia and the southern Atlantic ocean.
The Spy drove over to Washington, D.C. to talk to Urbina about his work and some of the topics he’ll be sharing with his audience in Chestertown October 30th.
This video is approximately seven minutes in length. Images and video courtesy of the New York Times.
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