#MaritimeMonday - Top 20 Maritime Twitters
Today, I'm recommending a list of my favorite maritime web sites and blogs. Each Monday, I'll shout out my recommendations for other interesting maritime Twitters using the hashtag #MaritimeMonday.
There are other top maritime Twitter lists based on the number of followers or the "influence" of a Twitter page. But there is nothing mathematical or scientific about this list. It's just my favorites. The only criteria I used in compiling the list is that the tweets must contain information which is current, useful and interesting.
Here's the list, in alphabetical order. If you have your own favorites which I omitted, please leave a comment below or list your favorites each Monday using the #MaritimeMonday hashtag.
@Amver is the acronym for the "Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System" sponsored by the United States Coast Guard. It is a voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea. @Amver is one of the best maritime Twitters around today, with a steady stream of timely and informative tweets. The Amver blog is interesting. Its all about saving lives and helping mariners in distress.
@CruiseLaw: Who lists their own twitter account on a top 20 list? I do. Yes, it's self promotion, but around 8,000 people follow my tweets about the strange world of cruising - a sub-section of the maritime community unique to itself. I link to my blog - Cruise Law News - where you will find lots of information and legal commentary on cruise ship accidents and crimes. We try and keep the cruise lines honest, while having a lot of fun in the process.
@CruiseVictims is the Twitter voice of the non-profit organization, International Cruise Victims (ICV) Association. Its President, Ken Carver, lost his daughter on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and leads the ICV in assisting victims of violent crimes aboard cruise ships. The ICV website is packed with first hand accounts of how things can go terribly wrong on cruise ships, and contains suggestions on how to protect yourself during a cruise vacation. President Obama just signed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act due to the efforts of the ICV. Making cruises safer is its goal.
@gCaptain is the Twitter page of John Konrad, who accurately bills himself as the "Master Mariner Tweeting From The High Seas." Like Amver, gCaptain routinely delivers the most relevant and interesting tweets about the maritime world. If you had to follow only one person on Twitter to find out what is happening on the high seas, I would recommend gCaptain. Master Konrad's blog is probably the best maritime blog around and is worth reading on a daily basis.
@Gentedimare is the Twitter page of the Italian maritime web site La Voce dei Marinai which reminds us of the international nature of the maritime industry. Gentedimare reminds us that "Seafarers are the keystone of the society . . . without them society doesn't develop - - 2010 Year Of The SEAFARER." Gentedimare tweets are straightforward and informative and, don't worry, he tweets in Italian and English too.
@Itajaipraticos is the Twitter page of the Brazilian maritime website Itajai Praticos. Like his Italian seafarer brother Gentedimare, Itajaipracticos focuses on maritime pilots,international shipping stories, piracy issues and the well being of seafarers around the world.
@JensenMaritime is the Twitter feed of John Jensen who has a wide perspective of maritime issues and approaches his interests from a practical point of view. He is a marine surveyor, a ABYC master technician, and NTSB trained in accident scene investigation and documentation. You can count on Mr. Jensen, a consultant to the recreational boating industry and vessel owners in New England and around the world, for interesting maritime tweets on a daily basis. 
@JonesAct is the Twitter page of Houston Texas lawyer Matt Shaffer. He tweets about maritime issues in the Gulf of Mexico like the BP oil spill, injuries to workers in the offshore oil and gas industry, and the rights of injured crew members. Mr. Shaffer links to his firm's informative web site. He is a trusted source for information regarding maritime law.
@jtweed is the shipping feed on Twitter from U.K.'s James Tweed. He has a keen interest not only in maritime issues but on line education, shipping podcasts and social media. His website Coracle contains internet shipping courses for maritime professionals. He publishes the "Shipping Industry Twitter Top 40," which contains no mention of cruise ships or me for that matter. Hmmm. 
@LloydsList is the Twitter feed from Lloyd's List - a leading daily newspaper for the shipping industry. The page links to the Lloyds List's website which is worth a daily read, particularly the excellent Bill Bantry's Blog, billed as "an irreverent view of the shipping industry." Some witty insight here.
@madmariner Mad Mariner is an online boating magazine that publishes daily articles about boat buying, boat restoration, boating equipment, boating tools, inflatables, marine electronics, boating safety, seamanship, and marine piloting. It has a number of related Twitter pages, like DIY Boat, BoatingLine, and Maritime Network. You will find a consistent number of tweets about everything nautical in nature.
@maritimeaccide is the Twitter page of Bob Couttie whose motto is "empowering seafarers to keep themselves, their ships and the seas safer." Mr. Couttie publishes the interesting web site Marine AccidentCasebook (MAC). The MAC site contains great materials regarding mariner safety and links to some of the leading mariner blogs, many of which don't have Twitter feeds. 
@MarineSurveys comes from Captain Henriquez who is a master mariner, certified marine surveyor and maritime consultant from Maracaibo,Venezuela. Master Henriquez has his finger on the pulse of the international maritime community and shares timely tweets about shipping issues from his perspective from South America.
@MaritimeLawyers is the twitter page from maritime lawyer Lisa O'Neill, who is not only my law partner but my spouse. Yes, nepotism is alive and well - I am not crazy enough to leave my wife off of a top 20 list. Ms. O'Neill is the only female maritime lawyer on Twitter. She tweets about maritime issues and cruise line and yacht cases involving passengers and crew members. .gif)
@Mar_Ex is the Twitter page of the Maritime Executive publication. Its Twitter profile is "strategies & solutions through case studies, interviews and articles that address the most critical issues in the maritime industry today." Mar_Ex links to its web site Maritime-Executive.com which contains news about the shipping and cruise industries, shipbuilding, executive interview and other interesting articles.
@petermello is the founder of Sea-Fever Consulting LLC and the Weekly Leader (a leadership forum). He writes a blog called - the Sea Fever Blog - which contains well written content, a great design, and an interesting use of mixed internet media. Mr. Mello's tweets are an eclectic mix of maritime issues, technology, innovation and leadership. He is one maritime Twitter who entertains while he educates.
@safeseas is by Brazilian maritime pilot and lecturer Alexandre Gonçalves da Rocha from Itajai, Brazil. The Brazilian has been working as a maritime pilot at the port of Itajai for the past decade. He tweets about maritime related news from an international perspective. The Safe Seas web site is one of the better maritime blogs covering shipping, environmental issues, piracy issues and other international topics.
@tradewindsnews is the Twitter feed for the TradeWinds publication which is a best selling international shipping newspaper. The TradeWinds tweets are similar to the tweets from Lloyds List. I became a fan of TradeWinds when it interviewed me in a article entitled "Man For The Other Team." TradeWinds focuses more on international shipping issues, and less on the cruise industry, but is clearly an authoritative source of international maritime information..jpg)
@USCGAuxVin is from sea captain and master mariner Vincent Pica who tweets about Coast Guard issues and boating safety. He is the District Captain in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary for USCG Auxiliary activities on Long Island, New York. He writes a seamanship column for a number of newspapers. Captain Pica's Twitter page links to the Atlantic Marine Academy which teaches boating skills and seamanship. He is a patriot and a real supporter of the U.S.C.G. whose Twitter page is here.
Top number of Twitter followers: @CruiseLaw - 7,951
Top number of tweets: @USCGAuxVin - 19,517
Did we forget your favorite? Please leave a comment below. And don't forget to mention your favorite maritime Twitters on #MaritimeMonday.
Jim Walker practices admiralty and maritime personal injury law. He has been involved in maritime litigation since 1983. Based in
Mar-Ex seems to be on top of the list.