Maersk, a global logistics integrator, announced the Maersk Women Rating Programme in partnership with training vessel Rahaman.

Maersk, a global logistics integrator, announced the Maersk Women Rating Programme in partnership with training vessel Rahaman. The aim of this programme would be to give women in the maritime industry access to advanced technical training and to offer employment sponsorship in their admission to partner institutes. Such opportunities may generate more interest among women to enroll in the program and keep female seafarers in the fleet."

The announcement was made during the second edition of Equal At Sea 2023 with the theme - Setting a course for an inclusive future. "The event was designed to take stock of the progress made since the launch of the Equal At Sea initiative in 2022 and provide a platform for the industry to create opportunities for facilitating industry-wide transformation and empower women to pursue rewarding careers at sea."

The event was attended by Shyam Jagannathan, Director General of Shipping, Ajithkumar Sukumaran, Superintendent (Government of India), Deepak Shetty, former Director General of Shipping, Captain Girish Phadnis, President of the Maritime Association of Shipowners Shipmanagers and Agents (MASSA) and Captain Sankalp Shukla, President of the Foreign Owners Representatives and Ship Managers Association (FOSMA).

Maersk addressed concerns about safety and well-being at sea. "Experts such as Sanjam Sahi Gupta - director, Sitara Shipping and founder, Maritime SheEO, Divya Nair, clinical psychologist, fleet management and Amalie Grevsen, Marine Culture Lead, Maersk, stressed the importance of safety, well-being and preparedness in the maritime environment with the aim of creating a safer and healthier ecosystem."

Niels Bruus, Head of Marine People & Culture, Maersk says: "When we launched Equal At Sea last year, our ambition was to bring about positive change in an industry dominated by a mindset that does not support gender equality. We are pleased to see that in the second iteration of this event, there are more and more stakeholders who agree with our goal and are happy to contribute to it. At Maersk, we have carefully designed initiatives to turn seafaring into a safe and ambitious career, encouraging young women to aspire to their future at sea. Maersk's global number of women has grown from two percent in 2021 to 3.3 percent in 2023, And we are committed to facilitating a further increase in female seafarers worldwide. In our quest for equality, we are committed to playing an active role by sharing our lessons, training materials and other valuable content with individuals, organizations and institutions that share our vision."

HK Joshi, former chairman of Shipping Corporation of India, stressed the need to emphasize intellectual parity rather than gender equality. Harpreet Singh, executive director of Air India, added that putting women on a pedestal creates more problems than opportunities. "There's no point dwelling on the past. Go further, create opportunities."

Shalini Nataraj, Employee Experience Officer, Maersk spoke about bias in recruitment (and how to overcome it).

The event also featured interviews with crew members on board, which motivates them to sail... And interestingly, what prejudices they expect to change in the coming years.