What Maritime Publishing does

Maritime Publishing is a privately held U.S. media company that publishes trade and enthusiast content for the commercial and advanced recreational sectors of the U.S. marine transportation industry. The company is headquartered at 3980 Sherman St., Suite 100, San Diego, California, and operates a portfolio of print magazines and digital properties anchored by two flagship titles — Professional Mariner and The Log — both available in print and digital editions. In addition to its periodicals, Maritime Publishing runs a classifieds service that connects advertisers with mariners, port facilities, shipyards, and vessel owners across the domestic maritime marketplace.

The company's business model is advertising-led, with revenue derived primarily from selling print and digital advertising space to companies that supply products and services to the maritime industry. This is supplemented by subscription revenue from individual and professional readers of Professional Mariner and The Log. Go-to-market is sales-led: a direct sales team works with advertisers to build custom advertising programs, supported by published media kits and inbound channels such as the company websites and a newsletter signup. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; advertising rates are negotiated through media kits and direct consultation, while subscription pricing is handled off-website.

The underlying technology stack is not proprietary — the company runs a WordPress-based web presence with no disclosed platform, app, API, or data product, and there is no indication of in-house software development or AI/ML capabilities. Distribution is entirely domestic, focused on the continental United States maritime market. The company does not disclose headcount, ownership, founding date, funding history, or financial metrics, and operates without disclosed partnerships, certifications, awards, patents, regulatory actions, or M&A activity in the source data.

Name

Maritime Publishing

Legal name

Maritime Publishing

Website

https://maritimepublishing.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Maritime Publishing is a privately held San Diego-based U.S. media company that publishes two maritime trade magazines — Professional Mariner and The Log — in print and digital, selling advertising and subscriptions to the commercial and recreational U.S. marine transportation marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Advertising: The company sells advertising space in its print magazines (Professional Mariner and The Log) and digital platforms, offering advertising exposure to mariners, port facilities, shipyards, and vessel owners across the US maritime marketplace.
2. Subscriptions: Readers can subscribe to receive print and/or digital editions of Professional Mariner and The Log publications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Maritime Publishing is a media company that publishes two U.S. maritime industry magazines — Professional Mariner and The Log — in print and digital formats, and sells advertising space (including classifieds) to companies seeking reach among mariners, port facilities, shipyards, and vessel owners. Readers can subscribe to print and/or digital editions to receive timely maritime industry news and featured articles.

Product overview

Maritime Publishing operates as a media company with a portfolio of print and digital platforms serving the U.S. maritime industry. The company publishes two main magazines—Professional Mariner and The Log—both available in print and digital formats. Additionally, the company offers classified advertising services to reach the maritime marketplace including mariners, port facilities, shipyards, and vessel owners. The product lineup centers on print, digital, and classifieds offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Professional Mariner: Magazine publication covering the maritime industry.
• The Log

Products and services

• Professional Mariner A magazine publication serving the commercial and recreational sectors of the U.S. maritime industry, available in both print and digital formats, covering news and articles for mariners, port facilities, shipyards, and vessel owners.
• The Log A magazine publication serving the commercial and recreational sectors of the U.S. maritime industry, available in both print and digital formats, covering maritime news and featured articles.
• Classified Advertising Classified advertising service offered in print and digital formats, enabling sellers of maritime products and services to reach mariners, port facilities, shipyards, and vessel owners.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Expansion highlights1 record

Regional players

• Riviera Maritime Media: Publisher of maritime B2B magazines and online platforms focused on commercial shipping, offshore, and naval markets. Comparable product format but oriented toward European and global audiences rather than the U.S. market.

Direct peers

• Soundings Trade Only: U.S. recreational boating trade publication covering boatbuilders, dealers, and marine products. Closely mirrors The Log's recreational maritime coverage and competes for the same marine advertiser wallet.
• Marine Technology Reporter: B2B publication covering marine technology, offshore, and subsea industries. Sits in the same maritime trade publishing category and competes for shipyard and vessel owner advertising budgets.
• Boating Industry: B2B publication for the recreational boating industry, targeting dealers, manufacturers, and marine service providers. Directly comparable to The Log on the recreational maritime side.
• WorkBoat Magazine: A long-running U.S. trade publication covering the commercial marine industry, directly competing with Professional Mariner for the same commercial maritime advertiser and reader base.
• Baird Maritime: Independent maritime publisher running several niche titles (WorkBoat World, Shipwatcher, Ausmarine) and an online news platform. Comparable business model and audience to Maritime Publishing, though with a heavier international mix.
• Marine Log: B2B maritime magazine covering shipbuilding, marine technology, and commercial vessel operators. Directly overlaps with Maritime Publishing's Professional Mariner audience of vessel owners and shipyards.

Emerging players

• gCaptain: Digital-first maritime news and professional community site for mariners and shipping professionals. Overlaps with Professional Mariner's readership but competes on digital reach rather than print.
• The Maritime Executive: Online maritime news outlet covering commercial shipping, naval, and offshore. Addresses the same professional mariner audience as Maritime Publishing's titles, primarily through a digital-only model.

Broad incumbents

• Active Interest Media (Marine Group): Large U.S. media company operating multiple recreational marine titles (e.g., Sail, Power & Motoryacht, Soundings). Competitor at scale in the recreational maritime publishing space against The Log, with broader portfolio and resources.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maritime Publishing