| Porthole 24 Jun 21

GOOD news – technology has ended cannibalism at sea, according to a British MP.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton is a conservative frontbencher, and raised the issue during a parliamentary speech last week about human rights at sea.

A legal precedent arose in 1884 when three crew members of a ship were stranded at sea in a lifeboat after their vessel was wrecked off the coast of Africa.

One, a cabin boy, was in poor health and ultimately the other two killed and ate him to fend off starvation.

They were ultimately rescued and returned to the UK where they were convicted of murder.

Baroness Vere was asked if the same principles would apply today, responding that due to modern-day search and rescue services “the shipwrecked seafarers would be rescued long before any decisions would need to be taken on who to eat”.