this is a great addendum to the other comments about the regularity of this: it's not entirely racism or from the 'host' country, the ship owners also don't want their labor force escaping from phenomenally oppressive and dangerous conditions that exist on board. you let sailors off in port you traditionally lose some, and in neoliberal cost-cutting environments it's even more essential to retain labor now as there's less surplus replacements available.
i wasn't insinuating that all unfree labor on ships is stowaways that have been caught, rather that contingents of the laborforce are not allowed to exercise rights they should have through legal trickery. places go along with it even if their local laws should facilitate a more robust set of rights.
this is a great addendum to the other comments about the regularity of this: it's not entirely racism or from the 'host' country, the ship owners also don't want their labor force escaping from phenomenally oppressive and dangerous conditions that exist on board. you let sailors off in port you traditionally lose some, and in neoliberal cost-cutting environments it's even more essential to retain labor now as there's less surplus replacements available.
deleted by creator
i wasn't insinuating that all unfree labor on ships is stowaways that have been caught, rather that contingents of the laborforce are not allowed to exercise rights they should have through legal trickery. places go along with it even if their local laws should facilitate a more robust set of rights.
deleted by creator
Passports stay in the captain's safe.