90% of the goods we consume in the West are manufactured abroad and brought to us by ship.

The cargo shipping industry is a key player in the world economy and forms the basis of our model of modern civilisation. Yet, the functioning and regulation of this business remain largely obscure to many, and its hidden costs affect us all.

Due to their size, freight ships no longer fit in traditional city harbours; they have moved out of the public’s eye, behind barriers and check points. Freightened aims to bring these behemoths back into our sightline by answering key questions like who pulls the strings in this multi-billion-pound business?

We’ll be joined for a post screening discussion by author Rose George, trade unionist Tommy Molloy from the International Transport Workers’ Federation and Nautilus, and Father Colum Kelly who is a port chaplain at Immingham.

– Rose George appears in the film and has written critically about the ethics of the shipping industry. Copies of her book “Deep Sea and Foreign Going: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry that Brings You 90% of Everything” will be available on the night.

– Tommy Molloy works as an official for the UK based trade union for maritime professionals Nautilus International and is seconded full time to the International Transport Workers’ Federation as a ship inspector covering ports in the West coast of England and Wales.

– Father Colum Kelly has been a priest for over 40 years. He is a Port Chaplain with maritime welfare agency Apostleship of the Sea based at Immingham, where he recently received an award for ‘outstanding contribution to the life of the port’.