海事案件中”船長坐牢”背後的應然面與實然面(一)

在海商法中,船長”代表”船東執行海上商事法中船柏的權利與義務,
然而在民法中,船長本人的權益與船東/保險公司的利益間未必一致;

在重大海事案件訴訟過程中船長的律師因牽涉的金額龐大,所以多由船東/保險公司來指定律師,而且在船長/船東/保險公司 三方折衝之後,多由船長以”人為因素”擔下所有過失,使得”海事調查機構”掠過了海事案件中幾個大咖:船籍協會,船東,船舶設計者等等在系統性與結構性方面的缺失,化繁為簡,以一句”人為因素”(Human Error),來轉移,並滿足群眾嗜血的期待,因為事情細節與真相反而沒有”市場”,反正有人坐牢就好,這是海事案件背後,”船長去坐牢”的必然面.(難怪我們在看許多MAIB,NTSB對案件經過數年的調查報告後,總有”隔靴搔癢”之感)

由麻省理工學院海洋工程教授和著名的油輪船東杰克·德萬尼（Jack Devanney）合著的2006年標誌性海事事故書《The Tankship Tromedy》中充分記錄了“怪罪於船員”的現象。他的敘述的 第6頁成為許多船東的經典回應。
它描述了以下三個原因：
1）crew errors are easier to recognize compared to poor ship design, poor maintenance, and poor enforcement of rules,與較差的船舶設計，較差的維護和較差的規則執行相比，船員的錯誤更容易認罪； 2）ship investigators are incentivized to only focus on the surface, operational issues rather than the systemic issues underlying them船舶調查員僅專注於表面，操作性問題，而不是背後的系統性問題，
3）blaming the crew is the easy way out to avoid identifying culpability of the ship owners, constructors or those responsible for ship maintenance.責怪於船員是避免確定船東，建造者或負責船舶維護的人的罪魁禍首的簡便方法。

中文裡一句話就講清楚了: 船員是最軟的柿子!軟柿子認罪,可免去眾大咖背後系統性責任的追究,並符合多方利益.
#船長的刑事責任

*實用(不雅)英語*

剛剛向菲爾報告台灣政情，八卦一下昨晚有人急急忙忙跑去懷遠堂坐在車子裡等，他先是說 He what? 然後不可克制大笑起來。我常跟妳說英國首相那個蠢蛋，什麼都搞砸還整天做一些他自以為很聰明的傻事粉飾自己，其實就只是在 polishing a turd.

中文有很好的翻譯，糞土之牆不可污也，你就是插一朵鮮花在上面也是臭不可聞。

Turd

1. a lump of excrement.
2. a person regarded as obnoxious or contemptible.

Polishing a turd

To fix, repair, repaint, shine or do other things to something that isn't worthy - but you have to do it for one reason or another. Because the basic fact is no matter what you do to a turd - polish it, paint it, give it bling - it's still a turd, and there is nothing you can do about that underlying fact.

［時事英文］亞伯瑞（Ahmaud Arbery）槍殺案

學生有時會問我，為何該探討諸如種族主義等社會議題。答案很簡單。這些議題指出了我們社會的潛在問題，唯有開誠布公的討論與行動，才能解決這些問題。如果我們想建立一個更加包容、公平且進步的社會，那麼我們必須盡可能地將這些棘手的問題攤在陽光底下，面對它們。
　
Students sometimes ask me why social issues such as racism should be discussed. The answer is straightforward. These lessons point out underlying problems within our society that only open discussion and action can address. If we want a more inclusive, equitable, and progressive society, then we must all to our part to bring these difficult issues to light and face them together.
　
★★★★★★★★★★★★
　
《紐約時報》報導：
　
Ahmaud Arbery loved to run. A former high school football standout, he had been jogging near his home on the outskirts of Brunswick, Ga., when he was shot and killed after being pursued by two white men with guns, according to the authorities. The authorities said he was shot after an encounter with Gregory and Travis McMichael, who had grabbed two guns and followed Mr. Arbery in a truck after he jogged past them.
　
1. a standout 優秀而顯著的人物
2. on the outskirts of 在⋯⋯的郊區
3. be pursued by 被⋯⋯追趕
4. the authorities 當局；官方；當權者
5. an encounter with 與⋯⋯的遭遇
　
亞伯瑞喜歡跑步。有關當局表示，他曾是一名高中足球的佼佼者，一直在喬治亞州布倫瑞克郊區的住宅附近慢跑，當時他正被兩名持槍的白人追趕而遭槍殺。有關當局表示，亞伯瑞是在與格雷戈里以及崔維斯遭遇後而被槍殺，他們持有兩把槍，待慢跑的亞伯瑞行經後，遂駕駛一輛卡車尾隨他。
　
★★★★★★★★★★★★
　
Gregory McMichael told the police that he thought Mr. Arbery looked like a man suspected in several break-ins in the area. The Brunswick News, citing documents obtained through a public records request, reported that there had been just one burglary in the neighborhood since January: the theft of a handgun from an unlocked truck parked outside Travis McMichael’s house.
　
6. be suspected of 有⋯⋯的嫌疑；被懷疑
7. break-in (n.) 非法入侵；（尤指）入室盜竊
8. public records 公開紀錄；公開檔案
9. burglary 偷盜罪
10. the theft of ⋯⋯的偷竊
　
格雷戈里向警方供稱，他認為亞伯瑞看上去像多次於該地犯下非法入侵的嫌疑人。《布倫瑞克新聞》藉由公開紀錄的請求引述了相關文件，自一月以來，鄰近地區僅發生過一起竊盜案：有一把手槍在一輛未上鎖的卡車中遭竊，該輛卡車則停在崔維斯家外。
　
★★★★★★★★★★★★
　
For two months, the shooting received little attention outside Brunswick. As the coronavirus pandemic dominated headlines and shut down communities around the country, The Times spoke with Mr. Arbery’s friends and family, who were by then concerned the case might quietly disappear in their Deep South community, because social distancing restrictions had made it difficult for them to gather and protest.
　
11. receive little attention 很少受到關注
12. dominate headlines 佔據了頭條
13. the Deep South 美國深南部
14. social distancing restrictions 社交距離限制令
　
這兩個月來，槍擊事件在布倫瑞克並未引起太多的關注。由於冠狀病毒的大流行佔據了新聞頭條，以及全國各地社區的關閉，《泰晤士報》與亞伯瑞的親友進行了交談，他們當時都很擔心此案恐於深南地區悄然消失，因為社交距離限制令使他們難以聚集與發起抗議。
　
★★★★★★★★★★★★
　
On May 5, a graphic video of the fatal encounter had begun to circulate online. It galvanized an already growing chorus of voices calling for charges to be brought in the case. Recorded from inside a vehicle, it shows Mr. Arbery running along a shaded two-lane residential road when he comes upon a white pickup truck, with a man standing beside its open driver-side door. Another man is in the truck bed. Mr. Arbery runs around the vehicle and disappears briefly from view. Muffled shouting can be heard before Mr. Arbery emerges, tussling with the man outside the truck as three shotgun blasts echo.
　
15. a graphic video of ⋯⋯的血腥影片
16. a fatal encounter 致命的遭遇
17. circulate online 流傳於網路上
18. galvanize 激起；引起
19. run along 沿著
20. come upon 碰上；偶然發現
21. disappear from view 從視野中消失
22. muffled （聲音）變輕微（或低沉）
23. tussle with 與⋯⋯打鬥；盡力對付
　
５月５日，此一致命遭遇的血腥影片開始在網路上流傳。它激起了愈來愈多的呼聲，呼籲對此案提告。車內的錄像顯示，當亞伯瑞遇到一輛白色皮卡時，他正沿著一條為陰影遮蔽的兩車道馬路跑步，一名男子站在駕駛側敞開的車門旁。另一名男子則在車斗之中。亞伯瑞行經該車後，很快地於視野中消失。在亞伯瑞出現之前，可以聽到低沉的叫喊聲，伴隨三聲霰彈槍的槍響，並與卡車外的人打鬥。
　
★★★★★★★★★★★★
　
Travis McMichael, 34, and his father, Gregory McMichael, 64, were charged on May 7 with murder and aggravated assault — two days after a graphic video of the shooting of Mr. Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, became public, and more than two months after the killing itself. The case has generated a wave of outrage and raised concerns about persistent racial inequities in the justice system.
　
24. be charged with 被以⋯⋯控告
25. murder and aggravated assault 謀殺與加重的企圖傷害罪
26. the shooting of ⋯⋯的槍擊
27. become public 公開
28. generate a wave of outrage 引發憤慨
29. raise concerns 引起擔憂
30. racial inequities 種族不平等
31. the justice system 司法系統
　
在２５歲黑人亞伯瑞槍擊影片公開後的兩天，即案發的兩個多月後，３４歲的崔維斯與他６４歲的父親格雷戈里，於５月７日被以謀殺與加重的企圖傷害等罪名起訴。此案已引發公憤，同時也加深了大眾對司法體系所固有之種族不平等的擔憂。
　
《紐約時報》完整報導：https://nyti.ms/2YYF7LJ
　
中文版報導：https://bit.ly/2Lh9uF8
　
影片出處：https://youtu.be/eJNqce1nbPM
　
★★★★★★★★★★★★
　
May justice be served.
　
願正義得到伸張。
　
★★★★★★★★★★★★
　
［時事英文］跨越歧視：http://bit.ly/2RQdy1u
　
［時事英文］US Protests: Week of Outrage: https://bit.ly/3crULTN
　
［教育時評］對亞裔的歧視：https://bit.ly/3cr5wps
　
★★★★★★★★★★★★
　
時事英文講義：https://bit.ly/2XmRYXc
　
時事英文大全：http://bit.ly/2WtAqop
　
如何使用「時事英文」：https://bit.ly/3a9rr38
　
＃國際時事英文