“When Ian told me about the beriberi investigation and after watching the material, I was impacted by the situation that is happening out there in the ocean,” said musician Hernan Cerbello.  

Ship crew members are falling ill and dying from the disease called beriberi, resulting from a severe vitamin B1 deficiency, because they’re being compelled to spend longer and longer periods of time – often years – at sea in illegal and intolerable conditions. This practice is facilitated by a popular system called “at-sea trans-shipment,” where ship captains avoid coming to shore and instead offload their catch to refrigeration ships in the middle of the ocean.

Cerbello contemplated the role of his music in the face of beriberi. “In regards to my music, I've been trying to find the textures to provide a piece of music that represents the sorrow of the people, and maybe the fury as well,” explained the artist.

Ship cooks frequently serve cheap rice or noodles with raw or fermented fish on long sea voyages, and they supplement meals with coffee and tea. These ingredients contain high levels of an enzyme called thiaminase, which destroys vitamin B1. An obvious solution would be for ships to provide their crew with vitamin supplements that prevent beriberi and to allow workers to return to shore for medical care if they fall ill, but captains often refuse to carry sick or injured crew back to shore because it is too costly and time-consuming. Consequently, a previously manageable disease can prove fatal at sea.

Cerbello said, “There is no respect for the people who are forced to stay away from their families for such a long time, while at the same time exposing their lives to this treatable disease.”

Hernan Cerbello