Editorial policy and corrections

What we publish

General, practical education about crew rights, welfare and preparation for professional advice, and a free directory of links to official careers pages. We do not publish individual vacancies, legal opinions about specific situations, or accusations about named organisations.

Sources

We rely on primary sources wherever possible, such as the consolidated text of the Maritime Labour Convention, and on the official websites of support organisations and employers. Each article lists its main sources and the date its links were checked. We explain where rules depend on the flag state, national law, the vessel or the contract.

Authorship and review

• Each article names its author. Medical content is written by a physician; legal topics are written as general education by a non-lawyer.
• Independent maritime legal review has not yet been completed for any content. We state this on each guide and article.
• When a qualified reviewer reviews a page, we will show their name, role, jurisdiction and the review date on that page, with their consent. We never imply review that has not happened.
• New articles are prepared as drafts. Drafts are not listed in the sitemap and are hidden from search engines until approved.

Dates

The date on an article is the date its content was last materially reviewed. We do not change dates for cosmetic edits or automatic rebuilds.

The careers directory

• Entries link to an organisation's own public careers landing page, never to a temporary application link or a copy of a job advert.
• The "link checked" date records when we confirmed the link opens and belongs to, or is linked from, the organisation's own website. It is not certification of the employer or proof that a job is open.
• Where a link redirects by region, we keep the official root address and say so.
• Entries are listed alphabetically. We do not rank employers by safety or fairness.
• Links are reviewed regularly and after any report. Entries we cannot confirm are reviewed or temporarily removed.

Advertising and independence

Advertising and sponsorship are kept separate from editorial content and labelled Sponsored. Nobody can pay to change our rights and welfare guidance. See disclosures.

Corrections

If you think something is wrong or out of date, email ezekiel@theshipdoctor.com with the page address, what needs correcting and a source if you have one. You can also report a broken directory link from the card itself. We correct factual errors promptly and note significant corrections on the page.