A barge is built 45 years ago, and turned into an accommodation vessel—a “coastel”—to house oil rig workers, soldiers, prisoners, factory workers…but mostly to be carried by the currents of politics, geopolitics, economics, whims of shipping magnates and registry preferences, and culture. The author Kumekawa does an amazing job of paying attention to the contexts of shipbuilding—regulatory changes, government fiscal policy, crime statistics, historical foundations that set into motion movements carried out in contemporary times. The vessel (and her sister) are not tremendous feats of shipbuilding but it is indicative of the transitory needs of various national and business interests. It’s hard to think of any aspect the author may have missed. But if you needed to know how we got “here,” this book will trace the flow of our shared lifetimes—and our forebears—through the story of this “empty vessel.”
I appreciate the publisher sharing an advanced copy.
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