On the occasion of 2022 International Women’s Day, the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) highlights the importance of removing the career barriers that prevent women from reaching their full potential. Making the industry increasingly gender diverse can be a catalyst for more promotions, managerial roles or executive appointments involving females, BMA stressed.
The good news is that the number of female seafarers, who hold certificates issued under the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), have almost doubled in five years to 24,059 worldwide, according to the Seafarer Workforce Report 2021.
The trend for more women in maritime is reflected in The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA)’s workforce, which boasts a strong gender balance of 51% females to 49% males. Their insights, expertise and dedication have given The Bahamas the foundations to build a globally renowned, quality ship registry with an ever-growing international presence.
BMA outlined measures and initiatives taken to embrace women, such as:
-the BMA Sponsored Bahamas Maritime Cadets Corps (BMCC) with 65% of recruits on the 2020/22 course being female. For the 2019/20 intakes, five of the top seven cadets were women. ‘
‘We wish to encourage Bahamian female students who are considering their future career path to join the programme and commence their journey in this exciting and rewarding industry as there are ongoing measures for collaboration with shipowners/industry partners.”, BMA said.
-The BMA has female employees who are proud members of the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA). At a regional level, there is further scope for engagement through Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC).
”The expertise and competence of all the females at The BMA are testament to the incredible contribution that women make to this industry. We can inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps by promoting shipping, sharing stories and celebrating success on landmark dates such as 18 May which is the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) International Day for Women in Maritime.” BMA highlighted.
