Twitter in crisis
Watching protesters storm the Capitol building on the day Electoral College votes were to be ratified by US lawmakers was one of the more surreal stories in a dystopian year of news. In the aftermath of the violent demonstration that left five dead, the significance of the role social media played came into sharp focus. […]
Shipping’s darkest secret: coping with suicide at sea
It’s often the most depressing, difficult and sensitive subject: the suicide of a seafarer stops everyone in their tracks and makes us think: How can a human being reach such depths of despair to do this?. But one of the most concerning and heart wrenching aspects of the entire ‘crewing crisis’ is the fact that […]
British Columbia: land of endless coastline
Safety. For all the right reasons, it is a preoccupying focus for the marine shipping industry. But when we work with clients new to British Columbia, shippers or other companies, they are often surprised to learn that in this jurisdiction, the term primarily conjures up considerations of environmental safety, not necessarily human health and safety. Why […]
Newsletter February 2021
In this issue we see how a migrant stowaway attempt is spun into a hostage crisis. The US election and how news reporting has fractured offers further media insight. Cabotage in Brazil: an economic frontier that could open up to the world – we find out how. There’s a look at environmental compliance – how […]
Event Impact Management Study
We are proud to announce that Witt O’Brien’s is partnering with the study’s creator, BC Management, as this year’s official sponsor. The Event Impact Management Study assesses how organisations prepare for events and gauges how certain events have impacted them. The findings will highlight activations during an event, impacts to business and personnel, downtime experienced […]
Best practice for Environmental Compliance
The maritime industry is acutely focused on operational efficiency, safety and environmental management. Most vessel owners, operators and ship management companies view compliance in these areas as more than just good business practice. Prioritising compliance is essential as vessels are routinely subject to regular Port State Control (PSC) inspections, class surveys and third-party audits to […]
Leveraging social media in your crisis response
Many organisations are investing in social media channels to complement existing outreach such as face-to-face engagement and below-the-line advertising. This trend has gained traction in 2020 due in part to the socially distant world brought about by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Organisations recognise that a strong online presence helps them stay connected to their stakeholders […]
Listening in a crisis
There’s no way around it. Having difficult or emotional conversations is not an enjoyable experience. What’s worse, we often don’t practice or prepare adequately for them. We don’t prepare because we trick ourselves into thinking that we are either naturally good or bad at these conversations based on our perception of our own skills and […]
2020 media by numbers: shipping coverage is up
To paraphrase Vladimir Lenin, there are decades where nothing happens and years where everything happens – 2020 has certainly been the latter. As many of us around the world have spent extended time with limited physical interactions with people outside our homes or bubbles, social media and traditional media have played an even more dominant […]
For those in peril…
I guess it is hardly surprising that another online media title goes under. The maritime space is saturated with news, market and comment outlets, as well as myriad platforms recycling the same. It is though no less sad to have one less outlet to champion seafarers. Safety at Sea, a renowned leader to that effect […]