International Day for Women in Maritime: Thursday May 18

May 17, 2023

Source: IMO

The IMO invites everyone in the maritime industry to celebrate the International Day for Women in Maritime on social media using the hashtag #WomenInMaritimeDay.

The International Day for Women in Maritime is held each year on May 18 to celebrate women working across the maritime industry. This year's theme is: “Mobilizing networks for gender equality”.

The day celebrates women in the industry and promotes the recruitment, retention and sustained employment of women in the maritime sector, raise the profile of women in maritime, strengthen the IMO's commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (gender equality) and support work to address the current gender imbalance in maritime.

The IMO has been supporting gender equality for more than three decades through its women in maritime programme, seeking to empower women in the sector through training, visibility and recognition. The IMO works in partnership with many like-minded entities including IMOGEN – its maritime diplomats for gender equality and WISTA International.

IMO Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, said: “There is still a significant gender imbalance in maritime. Times are changing – but we need to accelerate that change.”

This is the second year of May 18 celebrations. “Let us once again use this opportunity to celebrate the many women who are contributing to the future of maritime: navigators, engineers, surveyors, CEOs, managers, representatives of government and industry, those chairing IMO meetings, and women in every role across the industry. Happy International Day for Women in Maritime!”