The maritime influencers: @ JoeTheSailor

@JoeTheSailor has been entertaining and educating a global audience of millions with his engaging TikTok and Instragram videos. Helen Kelly spoke with him for the Nautilus Pod 'Offcourse: a sideways look at life at sea' and discovered several uncanny connections.

This episode was recorded in summer 2024, but is being released in 2025 due to unforeseen circumstance. Information was correct at time of recording.

At just 28 years old, Chief Officer Joe Furness has already experienced more adventure than many will in a lifetime.

It all started with a chance viewing of a Hollywood blockbuster that sparked his seafaring ambitions.

'I was gearing up to study law in Manchester where I'm from, when, during a gap year, I watched the film Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks,' Joe recalls. 'Seeing the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama container ship looked pretty exciting and sparked an interest in maritime.'

Intrigued, he searched online and discovered Maersk was running a UK sponsored cadet programme — a fully-funded opportunity too good to pass up.

Four years of training followed at South Shields Marine School, North East England, where Joe learned about all things maritime, from navigation to cargo operations from a college within spitting distance of the sea. 'It was great being so close to the water, watching these huge ships come and go,' he says.

Upon qualifying, a world of possibilities opened before him with Maersk, the largest containership operator in the world and a global logistics giant.

Social impact

Joe has turned his natural curiosity into a wildly successful social media presence, sharing the ins and outs of life onboard ship, alongside some technical explainers.

His social media journey began on a trip sailing with a Chinese Second Officer who was always on TikTok. Intrigued by the platform, especially after seeing his colleague's video garner a few thousand views overnight, Joe decided to give it a try. His first video featured both crewmembers on the bridge, wishing people a Happy Chinese New Year. It did surprisingly well, sparking Joe's interest to continue creating content.

Fast forward to 2025, Joe boasts over 300,000 followers on TikTok and around 150,000 on Instagram. His content, which offers a fascinating glimpse into the technical and everyday aspects of life at sea, has resonated with a vast audience.

Some of Joe's most popular videos are highly informative and technical. For instance, his video on how containers are secured on a ship has amassed 6.1 million views, and another, answering a viewer's question on vessel stopping distances, has reached 7.1 million views. These figures are staggering and highlight the public's curiosity about maritime operations.

Joe believes that the allure of big ships and the mysteries of the ocean play a significant role in his content's popularity. 'People are naturally curious about how such massive vessels stay afloat and operate efficiently,' he says. By balancing technical details with accessible explanations, Joe manages to satisfy this curiosity in short, engaging videos.

The content that performs best tends to answer common questions about ships and sailing. While Joe enjoys diving deep into technical details, he acknowledges that the most successful videos are those that simplify complex information for a general audience. He aims to provide clear and concise explanations without "dumbing it down", ensuring that anyone can understand and appreciate the intricacies of maritime life.

Cross training on tankers

After cutting his teeth on container ships, more recently Joe has set his sights on specialised liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers and has embarked on a retraining programme with Seapeak, formerly Teekay Gas.

'Retraining wasn't easy — it meant delaying promotions and taking a pay cut. But I knew LNG was for me,' Joe says. Seapeak supported Joe's goals through a rare, fully-funded cross-training programme.

As Chief Officer on an LNG vessel Joe oversees the loading and offloading of thousands of tons of fuel across the globe. It's a highly technical role with huge responsibility.

There's a lot of things to think about. LNG expands when it meets air and ends up as a vapour cloud. Crew must always maintain safety steps to avoid the gas being exposed to air. From ensuring zero leaks to emergency response drills.

'Learning to safely handle such a volatile cargo was like entering a new world,' Joe explains.

'There’s no greater feeling than being in charge of the pumps. Balancing all those tanks and starting those pumps is a roaring feeling, like you're in the NASA space centre. It's a really exciting experience.'

Personal sacrifice

The rewards of being at sea also come with sacrifice. Joe has missed weddings, births and other milestones while navigating oceans for months at a stretch. But nothing prepared him for learning of first his father and then his mother's passing while halfway around the world. 'That was the worst that's happened to me out here,' he admits.

Joe has always been close with his family and his father has featured in several of his early videos. Clearly their deaths have hit him hard. With support from his employer, Joe managed to get back to Manchester for each funeral, and the experience has galvanised him to support other people working at sea.

Joe finds solace in his shipboard family and in seafarer support networks such as the Liverpool Seafarers Centre, where he volunteers to assist other seafarers find rest and respite whilst at the port. And of course, through sharing insider industry knowledge on social media, he's connected with hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

Recently Joe completed a three-month stint navigating between Australia and Asia on a new Seapeak LNG tanker on charter to Woodside Energy. The rotation will see him taking gas onboard in Western Australia and carrying it north into China and Japan.

Joe has promised that, once he finds his sea legs on the new vessel, he will release some more videos. His ability to explain technical aspects in an engaging manner has not only educated millions but also opened a window into a world that few get to see first-hand. If you're fascinated by life at sea or have burning questions about big ships, Joe's content is worth a follow.