Editorial Policy

Editorial Independence

HeyMariner's editorial team operates independently from its commercial, advertising, and business development functions. Editorial decisions — including what topics to cover, how to frame analysis, which sources to cite, and what conclusions to draw — are made solely on the basis of accuracy, relevance, and value to the maritime community. No advertiser, sponsor, partner, investor, or any other commercial relationship influences the content of our editorial coverage.

Our editors and contributors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest before working on content that may intersect with their professional or financial affiliations. Where a conflict cannot be fully mitigated, we assign the work to an editor or contributor with no such conflict. We believe that the integrity of maritime information is essential to safety at sea, effective port operations, and sound commercial decisions — and we treat editorial independence as a non-negotiable commitment.

Content Standards

All content published on HeyMariner must meet the following baseline standards before publication:

• Factual claims must be substantiated by primary sources, peer-reviewed research, official regulatory documents, or named subject-matter experts.
• Regulatory information must be verified against the most current versions of applicable instruments, including IMO conventions, SOLAS chapters, MARPOL annexes, and port state control memoranda of understanding.
• Opinion and analysis pieces are clearly labeled as such and distinguished from news reporting and factual guides.
• Content must not contain misleading headlines, deceptive framing, or selective quotation that distorts the meaning of source material.
• Commercial entities mentioned in editorial content are identified by their full legal or trading name; we do not use unnamed or anonymous references to organizations without editorial justification.
• Safety-critical information — including guidance on emergency procedures, lifesaving equipment, or passage planning — is reviewed by a qualified maritime professional before publication.

Fact-Checking Process

Every piece of substantive editorial content at HeyMariner undergoes a structured fact-checking process prior to publication. Our fact-checking workflow includes the following steps:

First, the author is required to provide source citations for all factual claims at the draft stage. These citations are reviewed by a senior editor who independently verifies key facts against primary sources. For regulatory content, this includes cross-referencing with the IMO's official publication database, GISIS (Global Integrated Shipping Information System), and relevant circulars issued by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) and Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).

Statistical data relating to shipping casualties, port throughput, flag state registrations, or environmental compliance is verified against the most recent published datasets from the IMO, UNCTAD, Lloyd's List Intelligence, or relevant flag state authorities. Where data sources conflict, we disclose the discrepancy and explain our editorial judgment in selecting the figure used.

Maritime Expert Review

Content addressing technical, operational, or safety matters is subject to review by a qualified maritime expert before publication. Our expert review panel includes active and retired Masters and Chief Engineers, Class Surveyors, Port State Control Officers, maritime lawyers, and specialists in areas such as GMDSS communications, ISM Code compliance, cargo operations, and environmental regulation.

Expert reviewers are identified by their credentials and any relevant affiliations disclosed in the article or in our contributor directory. Expert reviewers do not have final editorial authority over publication decisions; their role is advisory, and the final editorial decision rests with HeyMariner's editorial team. Where an expert reviewer disagrees with a conclusion reached by our editors, we may note the disagreement in the published article.

Corrections Policy

HeyMariner is committed to promptly correcting errors in published content. If an error is identified — whether by a reader, contributor, expert reviewer, or member of our team — we will investigate and, if confirmed, issue a correction as quickly as possible.

Minor errors (typographical, grammatical) are corrected silently. Substantive factual errors are corrected with a clearly dated correction notice appended to or replacing the original text. For errors involving safety-critical information or regulatory guidance, we will issue a prominent notice at the top of the article until the correction has been reviewed and published. We do not delete articles to avoid accountability; corrections are made transparently.

To report an error or request a correction, contact editorial@heymariner.com with the article URL and a description of the error. We aim to acknowledge correction requests within two business days.

IMO Regulations Accuracy

Given the safety implications of maritime regulatory content, HeyMariner maintains specific procedures for content that references or interprets IMO instruments, including the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW Convention), the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006), and related codes and guidelines adopted by the IMO Assembly or its sub-committees.

All regulatory articles must specify the version and amendment cycle of the instrument being cited (e.g., SOLAS 1974 as amended, including the 2020 amendments). Where flag state implementation varies — for example, where a flag state has not yet ratified a protocol or where national legislation sets a stricter standard — we note this variation. Articles that summarize Port State Control (PSC) inspection requirements are cross-referenced against the current published guidelines of the relevant PSC MOU (Paris MOU, Tokyo MOU, USCG, etc.).

We distinguish clearly between IMO instruments that are legally binding conventions and those that are non-mandatory guidelines, circulars, or recommendations. Readers should be aware that individual flag states may have implemented binding requirements that differ from IMO guidance, and HeyMariner's content does not constitute legal advice. Mariners and shipowners should consult their flag state administration, classification society, or legal counsel for authoritative regulatory guidance applicable to their specific vessel and operations.

Source Attribution

HeyMariner attributes sources transparently. Where we rely on publicly available primary sources — such as IMO publications, MEPC or MSC circulars, flag state administration notices, port authority notices to mariners, or official GISIS data — we link directly to or clearly identify those sources.

Where we cite secondary sources, trade publications, or industry reports, we identify the originating publication and, where possible, link to the original. Information provided by named sources in interviews is attributed to those individuals with their title and affiliation. Anonymous sources are used only when a named source would face a genuine risk of professional or personal harm, and only when the information is independently verified or is essential to the public interest.

We do not republish press releases or vendor-supplied content as editorial content without independent verification and rewriting. Content supplied by third parties (ports, shipping companies, classification societies) for inclusion on HeyMariner is clearly labeled as contributed content and does not represent the editorial views of HeyMariner.