In our special column, we are pleased to host an interview with Professor Siri Pettersen Strandenes who is Professor Emerita of Shipping at the Norwegian School of Economics and recipient of the Onassis Prizes 2023 for Shipping and shares her experience within the industry.
With her 40-year experience in the industry, Professor Siri Pettersen Strandenes discusses her experience as a female professor in shipping, the first at The Norwegian School of Economics and the current state of female representation in the industry. She applauds the progress made so far, highlighting that today, there are many more female employees in the maritime community than one generation ago.
SAFETY4SEA: Tell us a few words what inspired you to pursue a career in shipping and academia?
Professor Siri Pettersen Strandenes: As a youngster, I was fascinated by the increasing number of foreign produced goods in the shops, and that goods produced in Asia could compete on price with locally produced goods. I wanted to learn more about the global shipping industry that carried these foreign goods across the seas. The late Professor Arnljot Strømme Svendsen opened the door to me as research assistant at the Institute for Shipping Research at Norwegian School of Economics, which led the way for me to contribute to the knowledge in shipping economics and to inspire young students to study international trade and shipping. I hope to inspire students to excel in this field just as Professor Strømme Svendsen inspired me, leading to my award of the Onassis Prizes 2023 in Shipping, 11 years after he was awarded.
S4S: What has been your contribution to the cause of sustainable shipping / sustainability?
My contribution to sustainable shipping has been working to enhance the knowledge of how shipping adjusts to regulatory initiatives motivated by the concern for the environment, as well as how regulatory schemes can be designed to reduce the environmental footprint of shipping without compromising efficiency in seaborne transport.
S4S: In your opinion, what benefits does enhanced gender diversity bring to the shipping industry?
Enhanced gender diversity contributes to the shipping industry by the larger pool of competent people to recruit from. Shipping gains from employing people with more varied backgrounds and experiences. The current shortage of seafarers is a challenge to shipping and recruiting more female officers and crews may lower this shortage somewhat by enlarging the pool of eligible persons. This will be even more important going forward as one foresees a continued shortage of seagoing personnel in the coming years.
S4S: Looking ahead, what changes or improvements would you like to see in terms of gender diversity and inclusion in the shipping industry?
There are many more female employees in shipping firms and in firms supporting the shipping industry now than one generation ago. The Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) has contributed to this both by attracting young, qualified females to the shipping industry and by offering a network for those already working in shipping and the supporting industries. Thus, we already see improvements in terms of gender diversity and inclusion in the shipping industry and my hope and belief is that this trend continues and strengthens.
The views presented are only those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
