MF Shipping’s CEO and President of the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners, Karin Orsel stated that she sees increased collaborations within and outside shipping, addressing diversity issues which will help shipping tackle the challenges of Ukraine and decarbonisation.
According to Ms. Karin Orsel, the industry must continue to engage with governments to stress the importance of access to crews from major seafaring nations.
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As she explains, “where collaborations set up during the pandemic, with major ship managers, shipping organisations including BIMCO, ICS, Intertanko, and unions, continue to push forward this important work.”
In addition, MF Shipping’s CEO added that: old ways of working and keeping largely to itself are no longer a viable option for shipping.
There is an increasingly urgent need for shipping to increase its influence in the political sphere to better advocate for the needs of the industry. This is particularly vital as critical decisions are made about decarbonisation and shipping’s ranking in the hierarchy of national decarbonisation policies, investments, and access to alternative fuels and ultimately zero carbon fuels is being decided
As far as the participation of women in shipping is concerned, Ms. Orsel said that there are more women in higher, visible positions, and this is positive as having such role models does make a difference.
But now it is the next generation that needs to step up. and we can support them. I have a lot of faith as there is a lot of new talent out there. While much positive change has happened, there is still a need for many to set KPIs not just for women but also diversity in a broader perspective
Karin Orsel’s statements came during the first International Day for Women in Maritime. “Training-Visibility-Recognition: Supporting a barrier-free working environment” was the theme of the day, which aims to highlight and celebrate the achievements of women in maritime and achieve gender balance.
On the occasion, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said that although there is still a gender imbalance in maritime, times are changing. While significant progress has been made so far and there is much to celebrate, there is also the need for more progress to be made.
