In light of the International Women’s Day for 2021 on 8 March, Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) announced that the “MT Swarna Krishna” vessel, which is fully managed & commanded by all women officers, set sail.
The European social partners for Maritime Transport, the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), advocate the enhanced participation of women in European shipping.
Following the International Women’s Day for 2021 on 8 March, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) asked female seafarers to share their stories and experiences of working at sea and the pandemic.
One of the key challenges for greater gender diversity in shipping is all about perception, says Mrs Alison Taylor, Europe Crew Training Manager at Svitzer, in an exclusive interview with SAETY4SEA. Mrs Taylor explains how her organization supports diversity and inclusion which are currently key areas of development for the whole maritime industry and equally for the towage sector, which has started to look closer at diversity and how it can positively impact the lives of female seafarers both onboard and ashore.
Mrs Sanjam Sahi Gupta, founder member of WISTA India and Board Member of WISTA International, talks about diversity in the shipping industry, noting that we need more women in leadership positions. In that regard, the idea of “Maritime SheEO” came about. Initiatives such as this can go a long way not only to equip women with the right skills but also help them rise to leadership positions, Mrs Gupta highlights.
Gender equality is essential for economies and communities to thrive; empowering women spurs growth and development, and benefits everyone working in the global maritime community and beyond. On the occasion of this year’s International Women’s Day, our special column is dedicated to women in the maritime industry, asking them to provide feedback on making shipping industry more attractive for women.
This year’s International Women’s Day is celebrated under the theme #ChooseToChallenge, a concept particularly fitting shipping industry, where only 5% of maritime leadership roles are occupied by women.
Our ‘Seafarer Stories’ column hosts seafarers’ views who present briefly the key challenges of life and work onboard, providing a picture of what a career at sea actually means. In this context, we are happy to host an interview with Mrs. Eleni Lykofridi who works as a Chief Officer on an oil tanker company and admits that her biggest challenge so far is to be able to cope with a male-dominated profession as a woman.
The IMO and the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA International) have launched the inaugural Women in Maritime – IMO and WISTA International Survey 2021.
Data published by Spinnaker’s Maritime HR Association highlight that the shipping industry remains a male-dominant sector, as only the 5% of maritime leadership roles is occupied by women.
