Community Guidelines

Factual, experience-based reviews

• Share what you personally observed about salary payment, workload, crew treatment, safety culture, and management
• Include relevant context: rank, vessel type, contract length, and approximate time period (without sharing confidential commercial secrets)
• Use constructive tone even when criticism is strong — focus on behaviours and outcomes, not personal attacks

Respectful discussions

• Ask genuine questions about companies, certificates, career paths, and life at sea
• Answer from your own knowledge and cite sources when sharing regulatory or technical information
• Disagree thoughtfully; other seafarers may have had different experiences on the same company

Constructive criticism

• Flag real issues that future crew should know — delayed wages, poor stores, excessive overtime, or inadequate PPE
• Suggest improvements where possible; criticism paired with specifics helps the community more than vague rants

Company and vessel reviews must meet these standards:

• First-hand experience — review employers or vessels you sailed with or directly dealt with in a professional capacity
• Honest opinion — distinguish facts from opinion; do not invent incidents
• No retaliation campaigns — one review per company experience cycle; do not coordinate pile-ons
• Protect privacy — do not name junior crew, family members, or ashore staff unless relevant and respectful
• Maritime safety — do not post information that could endanger vessel security (restricted operational details, security procedures, etc.)

Anonymous review options, where available, still require truthful content. Anonymity is not a shield for abuse or fabrication.

The following will be removed and may lead to account action:

• Harassment and bullying — targeted insults, repeated unwanted contact, or publishing private information to harm someone
• Hate speech — content attacking people based on nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or other protected characteristics
• Fake reviews — reviews without real experience, paid reviews, or reviews submitted to manipulate ratings
• Impersonation — pretending to be another seafarer, a company official, or SeafarerCircle staff
• Spam — repetitive posts, unsolicited promotion, referral links, or off-topic advertising
• Threats — threats of violence, blackmail, or harm to persons, vessels, or property
• Illegal content — content that violates applicable law, including piracy facilitation or exploitation
• Sexual content — explicit material or unwanted sexual advances
• Doxxing — sharing personal phone numbers, home addresses, or identity documents without consent

Recruiters and company representatives must:

• Respond professionally to reviews — address concerns factually, not with intimidation
• Post only legitimate job openings with accurate requirements and compensation descriptions
• Never offer payment or benefits in exchange for positive reviews or removal of negative feedback
• Not use recruiter access to harass reviewers or applicants
• Report suspected fake reviews through official channels rather than retaliating publicly

Use the Report button on jobs, reviews, and posts when you see content that violates these guidelines. Include specific reasons — reports with context are resolved faster.

Depending on severity and history, we may:

• Remove content or add moderation labels
• Issue a warning and require edits before republishing
• Temporarily restrict posting, reviews, or applications
• Permanently suspend accounts involved in fraud, threats, or repeated violations

Appeals may be sent to moderation@seafarercircle.com with your username and a clear explanation. We cannot guarantee reinstatement.

If you are in immediate danger aboard a vessel, contact your DPA, flag-state authority, or local emergency services first. SeafarerCircle is a community platform, not an emergency response service.

You may share general safety concerns in reviews to warn other seafarers, but do not post information that could compromise ongoing investigations or vessel security operations.

We may update these guidelines as the community grows. Continued participation after updates means you accept the revised rules. Significant changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date on this page.