Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives and
seafarers are certainly no exception to that especially considering
the intensified need to maintain connection with loved ones in the
months spent away from home. This comes with drawbacks that may
prejudice owners' position in several ways.
In a recent circular published by Turkey's Istanbul
& Marmara, Aegean, Mediterranean, Blacksea Regions Chamber of
Shipping ("Chamber of Shipping") attention has been
drawn to the fact that instances has been observed increasingly
where seafarers for entertainment purposes share photographs and
videos shot on dangerous parts of ships on social media outlets,
bound to prejudice the reputation of Turkish seafarers on an
international scale. Examples of such instances have been given as
photographs and videos showing seafarers climbing the main mast,
hanging over the ship's rails, swimming and posing on the
bulbous bow. Performance of such acts pose a serious hazard to