Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, Ardmore Shipping and Dorian LPG have signed on as founding members of Diversity Study Group’s (DSG) newly launched Seafarer Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Data-gathering and Benchmarking initiative.
As informed, the initiative tracks crew member demographics as well as data relating to psychological and physical safety and wellbeing, enabling members to take a granular look at the successes and challenges of onboard DEIB programmes while accounting for the unique constraints of a diverse global workforce at sea.
Year-on-year tracking will identify emerging trends, successful outcomes and ongoing challenges, showcase best practice, and allow DSG to employ their expertise to strengthen supportive working cultures.
Key info about the initiative
- The approach adopted is data-driven, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data collected through annual surveys and reports. These insights equip members with tangible information to formulate strategies and action plans aligned with their business priorities.
- Regular networking sessions serve to illuminate the challenges surrounding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the maritime industry. These sessions delve into best practices and potential pitfalls, fostering robust discussions among participants.
- The Annual DEI in Maritime event adopts a conference and workshop format, serving as a platform to present the Annual Review findings. It facilitates engaging discussions and provides operational stakeholders with up-to-date information, case studies, and peer support.
- Membership offers access to discounted DEI consultancy and advisory services, enhancing the support available to members in advancing their DEI initiatives.
It’s heartening to see numerous responsible ship operators institute DEIB programmes across their vessels to improve the safety and wellbeing of their personnel. But limited data on current levels of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging onboard ships makes it difficult to track successes and assess real outcomes or value to businesses.
… said DSG Founder, Heidi Heseltine
Addressing this gap in information will allow ship operators to implement strategic DEIB initiatives with greater potential for success, and maximise value for all stakeholders involved, inclusive of crew members.
Improved onboard communication, increased trust in leadership, and with other crew members, and improved morale have significant benefits for the safety and efficiency of operations. This helps retain experienced and talented employees, while also attracting new candidates to the workforce.
DSG’s new benchmarking system will bring fresh insight to Anglo-Eastern’s efforts on this front, and we look forward to working together to embed positive change for our crews.
… commented Michael Sandaluk, Chief Human Resources Officer at Anglo-Eastern
Acting as an independent third party, DSG has designed an anonymised online survey to gather data on seafarer demographics. This information will be analysed and relevant insights shared with members of the initiative through a secure online business intelligence dashboard.
Each organisation will gain access to anonymised data specific to their onboard personnel, while also being able to measure it against the aggregated industry responses available.
Aideen O’Driscoll, Senior Vice President of Corporate Services at Ardmore, stated that “Trust is a crucial component to working at sea — crew members need to be able to trust each other in order to operate safely and efficiently, and they need to be able to trust the company they work for to keep them safe and progress their careers effectively. Commitment and appropriate action are vital in this process, and we look forward to engaging with the results of DSG’s seafarer DEIB initiative to ensure our diverse workforce has what they need to thrive at sea.”
Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, Ardmore Shipping and Dorian LPG are also members of DSG’s parallel DEIB benchmarking initiative for shore-based personnel. The initiative, which has been running for over five years, reports an employee engagement rate of up to 80% with its surveys. Participating organisations have utilised these results to inform business strategies, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for stakeholders, and Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting.
We firmly believe that when you invest in young people and provide equal opportunities, they feel supported to grow together with the company and this leads to higher retention. For us, a strategy of jointly-led organic growth is far superior to consistently having to go to market to hire new crew members.
… concluded Alex Hadjipateras, Senior Executive Vice President of Dorian LPG (USA) LLC and Managing Director of Dorian LPG Management (Athens)
