John Guy News

John Guy’s newest effort, The Reluctant Pirate, is an entertaining tale of modern day pirates and a primer on what really happens when today’s merchant ships are boarded and held for ransom, and more importantly, why. And unlike the better known movie (Captain Phillips) that tackles a similar subject on the big screen, The Reluctant Pirate digs a bit deeper into the politics of today’s piracy business model, the players involved (and their motivations) and reaches into the psyche of the Somali pirate himself. At about 160 pages, The Reluctant Pirate is an easy read, but not because of its relatively short length. Fast moving and chock full of action, John Guy skillfully moves us back and forth between London, Norway, Somalia, Greece and out to sea on the waters in between.

A new novel, The Golden Tide, written by global shipping industry insider John Guy, is now available on Amazon as a paperback and ebook for Kindle. The fast-moving book is easy to read and puts a well-informed and human context on what happens when a coastal community confronts an oil spill. Green activist Simone struggles with her beliefs when she meets journalist Michiel, who shows her how an oil spill threatening Sicily is a bonanza for many locals. Compensation and clean-up money floods into the community…

Shipping companies should take positive action now, if they want to avoid a big U.K. tax bill, say leading accountants Moore Stephens. In the current issue of Moore Stephens' shipping newsletter, the bottom line, Philip Parr, partner, recommends a transfer pricing study to prevent the Inland Revenue from charging international shipping companies, with a UK arm, any additional tax, interest and penalties. Transactions involving associated overseas companies are affected by the new tax legislation, which introduced self assessment and revised the transfer pricing rules two years ago. Shipping, as a highly international industry, is particularly affected by the new rules.