The first permanent female captain for cargo shipping company SeaSwift
As far as ship captains go, Courtney Hansen stands out from the crowd. After spending more than 10 years working on the ocean, she has been appointed as the first permanent female captain for cargo shipping company SeaSwift.
A Cairns woman has used her experience in marine tourism to climb the ranks of the commercial shipping industry and be chosen as the first permanent female captain her company has ever employed.
Growing up in Mackay, Courtney Hansen always had a strong connection to the sea; even during her schooling its siren song was never far from her ears.
“We utilised the Whitsundays a lot in our school programs,” said Ms Hansen.
“By the time I finished high school I was a dive master, I held my recreational boat licence and [had] all sorts of other experience.”
Before embarking on her career in the cargo industry, Ms Hansen travelled the world working as a small boat captain and dive instructor for four years.
“Working in tourism was great but it was a natural progression for me to move into the commercial industry,” she said.
For the last three years she has climbed the ranks of the commercial shipping industry, working on cargo vessels between Cairns and the Torres Strait.
In her new role as a ship’s captain she will be based in Darwin and, at the helm of her landing barge, will deliver cargo to islands and communities throughout the Northern Territory.
Source:ABC / Image Credit: SeaSwift
