The article pointed out that couple years earlier the captain did exactly as you suggest and pulled away from the brink because of safety concerns. His company

The article pointed out that couple years earlier the captain did exactly as you suggest and pulled away from the brink because of safety concerns. His company punished him immediately with a big demotion. It seems clear that the culture in the industry is set up to weed out those who want to err on the side of safety, and reward those who err on the side of maintaining their shipping schedules.