Wilhelmsen Ship Management appointed their first female Korean captain, Captain Lee Eun Ran. “I hope my achievement can inspire more female seafarers to break the glass ceiling,” the Captain said.
Commenting on her appointment, Captain Ran stated that:
As one of the few female captains in Korea and the first in Wilhelmsen, I hope my achievement can inspire more female seafarers to break the glass ceiling and younger generations to consider seafaring as a career.
In the same wavelength, Scott Ritchie, General Manager of Wilhelmsen Ship Management Korea, mentioned that “shipping has been a male dominated industry and being a seafarer once myself, I fully understand the challenges. Acknowledging that it is not easy is the first step and working out ways to create an environment where female cadet and officers can thrive is crucial.”
This is our first female captain and certainly not the last. We are confident that our framework and support system will see more Korean female officers advancing to take on senior positions. One key aspect we are working on is to create opportunities for female seafarers to maintain their jobs while raising children
added Lee Dae Woo, Deputy General Manager of Wilhelmsen Ship Management Korea.
Due to the robust education system in Korea and cohesiveness of maritime universities working together with ship owners and managers, Korea is a suitable location for Wilhelmsen to grow its female seafarers to meet the global seafarer supply crunch.
As a matter of fact, Captain Lee added:
I am very appreciative that the company has recognized my capability and skillset for this promotion. The structured career progression plan has given me the opportunity to constantly upgrade my skills to meet the regulation and industry requirements.
According to the outgoing Nautical Institute (NI) President Carson-Jackson, the women participation in shipping still remains very low, at only at 2%.
She also added that “the maritime industry is very good at putting in place KPIs to drive change for operational and safety matters, but we don’t have measures of success for diversity and inclusion. As I take on the role of immediate past president I would like to continue to work to move from 2% to 20%, and beyond.”
