55°52′45″N3°31′40″W / 55.879159°N 3.527648°W /55.879159; -3.527648
 | |
| Founded | 1740 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Thomas Witherby |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters location | Livingston, West Lothian andEdinburgh, Scotland, UK |
| Key people | Captain Dr Iain Macneil (CEO),MNM,[1][2][3] Kat Heathcote (Commercial Director), MBE[4][1] Gillian Macrosson, MD.[5] |
| Revenue | £14.9 million (2022),[6] |
| No. of employees | 55[1] |
| Official website | www |
Witherby Publishing Group, formerly known as Witherby Seamanship, is a technicalpublisher of maritime,nautical andnavigation training, reference and regulatory materials.[1][7] The company is the resulting merger of Witherby Books and Seamanship International in January 2008.[1] Beginning with its origins in 1740 it lays claim to being the oldest independent publisher in the English-speaking world.[8][9][10]
Witherbys publish guidance titles with numerous shipping bodies and maritime NGOs. These include theInternational Chamber of Shipping, theUK Chamber of Shipping,BIMCO,OCIMF,SIGTTO, North P&I, theUK P&I Club, theInternational Association of Classification Societies, theMerchant Navy Training Board and theInstitute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), as well as acting as an official electronic distributor for theInternational Maritime Organization.[11][12][13][14][15] Witherbys are an official distributor ofINTERTANKO publications.[16]
The company holds working groups, which include specialist consultants from relevant sectors, as well as in-house technical advisors, authors and editors, to produce their publications.[17]
The company's tradition of publishing and bookselling was initially started by the stationerThomas Witherby at the company's founding in 1740 in theCity of London.[18][19] The early company developed as a stationers and as a copier and producer of legal documents, including articles of agreements, bonds and pro-forma contracts formarine insurance andcarriage of goods by sea, operating in proximity to the maritime trade of the adjacentCoffeehouses.[19] From 1749 until 1873, the company was located at Birchin Lane, adjacent toLombard Street in London before later moving to several premises, including a building inClerkenwell and later in Aylesbury Street,Islington.[19] Throughout this period, the operating name of the changed fromWitherby and Son toWitherby and Company, including a subsidiaryHF and G Witherby that specialised inornithology books under the auspices ofHarry Forbes Witherby, a descendant of Thomas Witherby.[19] The collections of the early Witherby company are available at the London Metropolitan Archives.[19]
In 1998, the company Seamanship International was begun by Iain Macneil providing training materials for the maritime industry from Scotland and in 2008 the company bought out and merged with Witherbys, moving the business to Scotland (the physical printing arm of the company was sold off under the name WKG Print).[18][20] Since relocating to Scotland, the company has expanded to become one of the largest maritime publishers in the world, publishing over 400 titles to over 110 countries in the world.[21][1][11] It is estimated that there are more than a million Witherby ebooks in use on over 40,000 ships.[20] In 2017, the company was awarded a new coat of arms by theCourt of the Lord Lyon which includesScottish Blackface rams and theBirlinn, an historicalWest Highlands galley.[22]
In December 2020, David Balston, a formerRoyal NavyVanguard-class submarine Commander, Prime Ministerial advisor and head of Policy at the UK Chamber of Shipping joined Witherbys as Deputy Chairman and non-executive director.[23][24][25] In March 2023, David Balston was appointed Chairman of Witherbys.[26][27]
The company has registered offices inEdinburgh, Scotland, with the main offices and warehouse being located at Navigation House inLivingston, Scotland.[28]
Witherbys publishes on a range of maritime technical and operational subjects includingnavigation,Ballast Water Management,ECDIS,Oil tanker operations,LNG tanker operations,seamanship,ship stability andpassage planning.[29]
Together with theUK P&I Club, Witherbys publishes the marine reference bookCarefully to Carry, which contains guidance on the safe carriage, loading and storage of cargo oncargo ships.[30][31] In September 2021, with theUK P&I Club andCAE, Witherby published a safety publication entitledMaritime Team Dynamics, a safety book comparing aviation and maritime incidents.[32][33]
In February 2019, in conjunction withBIMCO and International Shipcare, Witherbys released theShip Lay-up Guide.[34]
In response toIMO efforts to require cyber security to be addressed under theInternational Safety Management Code, in November 2019, together withBIMCO and theInternational Chamber of Shipping Witherbys published theCyber Security Workbook for Onboard Ship Use.[35][36] A second edition was published in October 2020.[37][38]
On behalf ofOCIMF and the International Chamber of Shipping, the company publishes theInternational Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals (ISGOTT), which is used as a reference guide on most oil tankers and in most terminals.[39][40] A sixth edition of ISGOTT was published in June 2020.[41] With OCIMF, Witherbys also publish theMooring Equipment Guidelines, the 4th edition was published in 2018.[42]
In partnership with the International Chamber of Shipping, Witherbys publishesDrug Trafficking and Drug Abuse On Board Ship: Guidelines for Owners and Masters on Preparation, Prevention, Protection and Response.[43] In 2021, the sixth edition of the publication was released, offering guidance on how to protect the ship and crew via a range of security measures, while reducing the risk of drug trafficking occurring on board.[43][44] Witherbys also publish the ICS guidance onMaritime security with a publication entitledMaritime Security - A comprehensive Guide for Shipowners, Seafarers and Administrations.[45][46]
With Maritime Industry Australia, Witherbys publish a Passage Planning Guide for theGreat Barrier Reef andTorres Strait.[47][48]
Together with BIMCO, the company publishes an annual guidance title on contractual risks entitledCheck Before Fixing.[49][50]
In 2021, the company issuedWitherby Connect, an eBook reader software for the marine industry.[51][17][52] Also in 2021, the company launched anLNG carriermooring tool calledSHIPMOOR in partnership with the research companyHR Wallingford.[53][54]
In June 2022, with BIMCO and the Danish Pilotage OrganisationDanPilot, the company published a Passage Planning Guide on theBaltic Sea covering the region fromSkagen toBornholm.[55] In August 2022, in partnership with ICS and BIMCO, Witherbys published a guidance title for the shipping industry onbiofouling entitledBiofouling, Biosecurity and Hull Cleaning.[56][57]
In 2023, together with the International Chamber of Shipping, the company released an updated version of the industry publicationDrug Trafficking and Drug Abuse On Board Ship.[58]
In January 2024, the company published an updated edition ofThe Pilot Ladder Manual which details regulations and procedures onmaritime pilotpilot ladder embarkation and disembarkation.[59] In 2024, the company releasedECDIS Passage Planning and Watchkeeping, an updated title for maritime professionals usingECDIS.[60] In 2024, Witherbys with the International Chamber of Shipping, provided guidance to ships on managing the risks associated withstowaways and with rescue of displaced persons at sea.[61][62][63] In 2025, they released an updated maritime security guide for shipowners and seafarers with the International Chamber of Shipping.[64]
Awards for the publisher have included the Queens Award for Enterprise, aLloyds List Training Award and a Green Award.[5][65][66] In March 2017, the company won the Sea Transport Award for 'best marine training material publishing company'.[67]
In 2020, the company funded two publishing scholarships withEdinburgh Napier University and theUniversity of Stirling.[68] In 2021, the company offered a scholarship for anMLitt in Publishing Studies at the Stirling University Centre for International Publishing and Communication.[69]
The company manages acharitable trust which provides funds forsport,arts andeducation in Scotland.[70] In 2010, the trust paid for sports equipment for children inMalawi.[71] In 2019, the trust lead fundraising efforts to provide a gift of a newSteinway piano toSt Mary's Music School in theWest End of Edinburgh.[72][73][74] For Christmas 2020, the trust funded theWitherby Arts Festival to support emerging musicians in Scotland.[75] In June 2021, the trust supported the summer camp of theRoyal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO).[76] In September 2021, the trust donated £4,000 to the community Cairngorm Biathlon & Nordic Ski Club.[77] In December 2021, the trust celebrated reaching £1,000,000 of charitable giving since 2011.[78]
In March 2023, the trust donated £105,000 to provide scholarships and bursaries for students from rural backgrounds to attend theUniversity of the Highlands and Islands.[79][80][81] In August 2023, the trust sponsored a summer music festival to support emerging artists at theEden Court Theatre in Inverness.[82][83]
In 2020, Witherbys purchasedMV Astra, a 24 metreFinnish-Swedish ice class rescue ship[84] (formerly operated as the lead vessel of theSwedish Sea Rescue Society).[85][86] The ship undertook conversion work in 2021 and provided research opportunities for Witherbys, including the undertaking of an expedition to complete a 22,000 nautical milecircumnavigation in 2021/2022 via theCape of Good Hope andCape Horn.[85][86][87][88][89] The voyage began in December 2021 departing fromLanzarote.[88] The ship then sailed to thePacific Ocean viaCape Horn. By mid-February 2022, the ship had reached its halfway point of a 25,000 mile circumnavigation.[90][91][92] On 16 May 2022, the ship completed its circumnavigation becoming the first sub-24m motor-powered vessel to circumnavigate the globe via the southern capes, setting a new world record for this class and voyage.[93][94][95] The ship was listed for sale in 2023.[96]
In November 2025, the company purchasedSea Ranger, a 78-meter former salvage and research vessel.[97][98][98] The vessel is intended to support their publications and carry out shipboard research.[97] The vessel was formerly namedLone Ranger and was the first research ship of theSchmidt Ocean Institute.[97][98]