Responsible Social Media for Seafarers

Social media has become both a professional opportunity and a professional risk for seafarers in ways that are unique to the maritime environment. Posting from a vessel at sea raises security, commercial confidentiality, and flag state compliance issues that simply do not apply to posting from a desk in London. Getting this right — knowing what is never acceptable, what is best practice, and how to use digital presence to advance your career — is now a professional competency.

What Never to Post — The Non-Negotiables

These categories of content can end careers and have done so. No professional benefit justifies them:

• Vessel position: Posting "departing Rotterdam tonight heading for Fujairah" or sharing vessel AIS-visible tracks is a security risk. Under ISPS Code provisions, information about vessel movements, cargo nature, and port calls is commercially and security-sensitive
• Cargo information: Volume, nature, shipper, consignee — any commercially sensitive cargo detail. Commodity traders monitor social media; this can affect spot market prices and constitute insider information
• Crew disputes or complaints about named officers: Posting grievances about a senior officer by name or thinly veiled description is misconduct under most employment contracts and the ISM Code duty of confidentiality
• Photographs of sensitive areas: Engine room control systems, bridge equipment configurations, security camera positions, and access control systems should not be photographed and shared
• Incident footage before official reporting: In the event of an accident, injury, or near-miss, the correct channel is the company's Safety Management System reporting procedure. Posting incident video before official notification has in several cases compromised investigations and created significant legal issues for the seafarers involved

Company Social Media Policies

Most shipping companies, superyacht operators, and offshore companies have social media policies that form part of the employment contract. These policies vary in detail but typically prohibit:

• Identifying your employer by name in personal posts about workplace issues
• Sharing company logos, photography, or vessel images without authorisation
• Commenting on the company's operations, contracts, or performance publicly

Read your company's policy. If the vessel you are joining does not provide one, ask the Master or HR department what the expectation is. Ignorance of the policy is not a defence in a misconduct hearing.