Seafarers are too often hidden. With strategic coverage in key seafaring hubs, Seafarer Social is committed to narrating the inspiring journey of seafarers to attract fresh talent, support crew wellbeing, and enhance recruitment strategies for shipping companies. It produces the only seafarer-focused podcast in the market today, enabling maritime businesses to access thousands of seafarers from anywhere in the world.

The new partnership will see Seafarer Social strengthen BLUE’s integrated communications offering by enabling maritime clients access to hundreds of thousands of seafarers – a stakeholder group that has been, until now, hard to access – across multiple social media platforms.

For Seafarer Social, the collaboration provides greater access to a traditionally inaccessible and silent community, despite the fact that they are a vital part of the maritime industry.

BLUE’s managing director Alisdair Pettigrew said: “With 1.9 million seafarers in the global shipping industry, they are the too often forgotten majority. Seafarer Social’s work has proven that seafarers listen to, and are influenced by other seafarers. Today’s agreement means that BLUE’s clients are now empowered to communicate directly with them. As seafarers become more accessible, companies are recognising that it’s vital to communicate directly with them.”

Seafarer Social founder Carl King said: “Nearly 30% of seafarers are under the age of 30 and we must recognise that this generation engages with media in fundamentally different ways, shaped by the rapid evolution of technology. Their attention spans, like those of all younger generations, are shorter, but that doesn’t mean we should rely on outdated methods.

“We must innovate and present our messages in ways that truly engage the next generation of seafarers. If we are serious about improving retention, fostering diversity, and advancing our ESG goals, we must embrace social media, not as a future prospect but as a critical tool for today and tomorrow.