In light of the International Women’s Day, Celebrity Cruises informed that for the first time in the history of shipping, an all-female bridge and hotel officer team cruise ship set sail. In fact, the cruise vessel “Celebrity Edge” started its seven-day journey on 8 March 2020, with 27 women from 16 different countries onboard.
Specifically, the cruise ship departed from Port of Everglades to the Caribbean, with Captain Kate McCue at the helm, the first American female cruise ship captain.
With just 2% of the world’s mariners being women, Celebrity Cruises aims to change that and enhance diversity and gender equality inside the shipping industry.
In just four years, we’ve boosted the number of women working across our fleet from 3% to 22%. With bold initiatives to Bridge the Gap, we’re bringing gender equality to the seven seas.
… Celebrity Cruises said.
During the Celebrity Edge’s journey, all the activities will pay attention on inspiring a new generation of girls and women to pursue careers in the maritime sector. Among others, special programming such as dedicated speaker’s series, networking opportunities, film and documentary screening will be included within the cruise ship’s sailing.
Overall, women in workforce and leadership positions remains a hot issue across all business sectors, and maritime included. Since 2015, an EY initiative aims to encourage stakeholders to focus on diversity and inclusion in leadership and workforce, equal compensation and work life balance.