Loch Striven, Maersk and the media

This is something of a wake-up call. The recent press day on the raft of 6 Maersk container ships in Loch Striven was good for the company – demonstrating its genuine openness and sharing insights and information on lay up processes that were new to the Maersk’s own engineers.

It was also good for the BBC – in drawing attention to the potentially ‘cult status’ sci-fi television series, Mission 2110, currently being shot onboard the ships for CBBC and a Spring transmission launch.

Was it good for the community?

Only in that it subliminally testified to the essential humanity and non-NIMBYness of the little Loch Striven community, with a village of tower blocks afloat only yards from its front doors.

We have two areas of concern.

The gain decoy

The first was unintentionally misleading  statements included in the pieces published by the journalists after the visit. They mention the local community welcoming the boost to its economy.

There is no local economy at Loch Striven.

The little community immediately affected by the presence of the ships – whose in-their-face position was dictated by Clydeport and not by the shipping line itself – has absolutely nothing to sell. There is no shop, no cafe, no bar, no gift or crafts outlets – just a handful of people who live there for the loch’s tranquillity and peace.

The local economy that has benefited is well beyond Loch Striven – mainly Rothesay, the main town on the Isle of Bute, opposite the entrance to Loch Striven, the most convenient place for the ships crew to get to for rest and recreation – and where they are already well known and liked.

Then there is a hotel at Colintraive, a few miles away round the corner on the opposite shore of Loch Striven from the local community. Again this is an easily reachable place for some crew downtime away from the raft.

But it is entirely wrong to create the impression that those most affected by the presence of the ships are benefiting economically in any way by their presence.

The wider Argyll economy will see some benefit. Clydeport is earning very significant revenues from Maersk for permission to lay up the ships in Loch Striven (see background information below). That permission fulfils Maersk’s need for the best possible layup location for its redundant boxships.

But it remains the case that it is the disruption to the lives of the  handfull of shoreside residents which is supporting the gains of every other party in the game.

The dismissive patronage

The second point is the sort of unthinking automatic patronage that urbanites demonstrate for those who choose to live in remote places.

The pieces published give the impression that sullen and hostile locals were lured into sunny dispositions and invitations to tea by a smart PR campaign by Maersk, bringing them out to the ships and promising to pay the BBC’s facilitation fee for filming aboard to local charities.

This tack (a deliberately chosen word) devalues both the community and the company.

Maersk was horrified by the adverse publicity ForArgyll generated worldwide in our persistent campaign to support the small community whose interests have been – and still are – disregarded by those whose job it is to protect them. (It should be said that the principal focus of this campaign has always been – and remains – Clydeport, whose corporate conduct has been anachronistic, to say the least.)

Our campaign brought the matter to the attention of TV2 from Maersk’s homeland of Denmark  – who sent a reporter and cameraman to Loch Striven to see for itself where the ships were and what was their precise impact on the locality.

Maersk is a socially responsible company. It has been open with accurate information from the start. It has been doing all it can to alleviate the negative consequences of the presence of its ships in this remote and beautiful loch. It cannot make the ships shrink but it address the noise and harmonics they produce which cause very real distress, for good reason, to the health and well-being of particular residents.

The company is now experimenting to see if it can reduce from ‘colder’ ships.

Of course Maersk is not naive. Of course it needed also to act to counter adverse publicity and reputational damage by association with the toxic Clydeport. But the current swathe of journalistic pieces is creating the impression that the positive engagement of the company with the local community has been a cynical and successful PR exercise. This does Mersk no favours and is capable of stalling a constructive and adult relationship between company and community.

It is largely to the credit of the community that this relationship has been achieved.

Its stance from the outset was based on absolute objection to the lack of consultation preceding and accompanying the placing of laid up ships in the loch.

When Maersk demonstrated an interest in consultation and discussion, the community responded at once.This was philosophically and politically consistent behaviour and demonstrated the integrity of its position – and its common humanity.

The continuing issue

However, the issue has not gone away. The community has rightly isolated Clydeport as the single source of undemocratic, and unaccountable behaviour in the matter – and it is pursuing that.

It has attracted the necessary support to require and empower its Community Council in South Cowal to hold a public meeting in early March at which the issue will be addressed. Local and national politicians, Clydeport and its corporate superior, Peel Ports have been invited, as have other stakeholders.

Maersk do not want, at this time, to be put in a position where their actions are seen to have been consciously manipulative of local opinion, rather than designed to be of help.

For future media visitors

It would well behove visiting journalists, beamed down to the raft and to the cyber-apocalypse of Mission 2110 – both extraordinarily interesting,, to consider two points:

• the first is the proximity of the ships to the east shore of Loch Striven where the little community lives – demonstrated by  the two photographs above and below – one from the shore and one from the ships.
• the second is that this small community includes artists, a curator, the Clan Lamont headquarters – and a writer whose ability would see any of the scribblers off the park.

So forget the sullen hayseeds lured into the light by trips and dollar signs – and start thinking respect.

Here is access to all articles on this issue – or click on the ship in the right hand column at any time.

Background information notes

• Quotation from main piece in Lloyds List on 12tth February 2010:

‘Although the banks of Loch Striven are sparsely populated, the few householders living near by were shocked and angry when the ships first arrived unannounced, and kicked up an enormous fuss about the scar on their stunning landscape

‘A charm offensive by Maersk, with locals invited to tour the ships and hear first hand why lay-up was necessary, has worked wonders. Maersk also undertook audits in response to complaints that residents were being disturbed by the noise, and subsequently was able to switch off some equipment.

“We are getting on fine now,” says Capt Johnstone, who is on first name terms with his shoreside neighbours, often pops in for tea, and is a well-known and popular figure in Rothesay.

‘The feeling is reciprocated, with one of those who was most hostile when the ships first anchored in Loch Striven telling Lloyd’s List that “they are no bother”.

‘In fact, the vessels are proving to be something of a tourist attraction, with some townfolk pleased to see shipping activity returning to Loch Striven for the first time in years.

‘Helping matters is the fact that Maersk is giving the local economy a welcome boost, with provisions and other supplies bought in Rothesay, and visiting staff frequenting the town’s hotels and restaurants. The company is also donating fees paid by the BBC, which is filming a sci-fi game show on one of the ships, to local causes.’

• Quotation from second piece in Lloyd’s List on 12th February 2010:

‘Filming of the first series has just finished, and the second series will go into production later this month, with transmission scheduled to start in April.

Maersk will donate its fee from the BBC to local causes, but has yet to decide who will be the lucky recipients.

Flush with local pride

IN THE meantime, all the bad blood and hostility that surfaced when Maersk first brought its six ships to Loch Striven appears to have vanished, with residents becoming quite fond of their latest tourist attraction and enjoying the boost to the local economy from the company and the BBC.’

• Second quotation from main piece in Lloyds List on 12th February 2010:

‘The line will not release financial figures about the lay-up programme, other than to say it probably spends some $1,500 a day per ship on port dues and running costs. Tug fees and other expenses associated with positioning ships came to around $100,000.‘

All photographs accompanying this article are by copyright holder, Rebecca Martin, and may not be reproduced without permission.