Given the cosmopolitan nature of international shipping, Reverend Peter Ellis is no stranger to political intrigue.
His work as a Mission to Seafarers chaplain has seen him stage several discreet interventions over the years to help worried seafarers jump ship to avoid hotter waters at home.
In 2001, Ellis helped a nephew of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, flee his Malaysian ship in Hong Kong before being paid off and sent home.
'There was no doubt who's relative he was,' Ellis said. 'His name was Than Win and he looked, sounded and even carried himself like Aung San Suu Kyi ... his problem was that he knew the junta would never let him leave again, ending his career. He had already refused to load certain cargoes for members of the regime and there was word that they were asking about him back at home. He even lived close to Suu Kyi on University Avenue [in Yangon].'
Having found an excuse to get Win ashore shortly before his ship was due to leave, a helpful Hong Kong pilot later turned up with his passport.
With his papers in order, the local office of the United Nations' refugee agency was able to expedite his request for asylum. Reunited with his family, he is now working as a ship surveyor in the United States.