Diversity News

The ERMA TECH GROUP has highlighted that its President, Eleni Polychronopoulou, has been recognized by the IMO for her contribution to advancing gender equality in the global maritime sector, receiving a Letter of Commendation as part of the prestigious IMO Gender Equality Award framework.Polychronopoulou serves as President of HEMEXPO - Hellenic Marine Equipment Manufacturers & Exporters and Vice Chair of SEA Europe - the Shipyards’ and Maritime Equipment Association of Europe…

Japanese maritime academic and former seafarer Professor Momoko Kitada has been awarded the International Maritime Organization’s Gender Equality Award 2026. The award was presented by IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez during a ceremony held at IMO Headquarters in London (May 18) to mark International Day for Women in Maritime. The recipient of the Gender Equality Award is selected each year by a high-level panel and endorsed by the IMO Council, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women in the maritime sector.

As the maritime industry faces rising pressures, from workforce shortages to evolving safety expectations and the drive for long‑term sustainability, diversity has become an essential pillar of progress. This is especially true in the ongoing effort to support more women entering and advancing in seafaring careers. With the release of the Guidelines on the Application of the ILO Maritime Labour Convention (Fifth Edition), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is shining…

This year’s IMO International Day for Women in Maritime (May 18) focuses on embedding gender equality at every level of the maritime industry, both on shore and at sea.Under the theme “From Policy to Practice: Advancing Gender Equality for Maritime Excellence”, the day highlights actions to translate international ambitions and commitments into tangible actions that will make a difference in the lives of women in the sector, from seafarers to shore side professionals.IMO Secretary…

At a ceremony in Brussels, Danish shipping company Hafnia was selected as the recipient of the Diversity & Inclusion Honours in Maritime 2026.Hafnia won the award for their Hafnia Culture Lab research project conducted in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark and the Danish Maritime Fund.Initiated in 2023 with independent research by the University of Southern Denmark, the study examined seven Hafnia vessels with crews of at least 50% women and included interviews…

A new report from the All Aboard Alliance found that its 26 members have remained firm in their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) despite political pushback against such initiatives from some factions.The All Aboard Alliance Insights 2025 uses a maturity analysis framework to indicate how member companies are performing against the Alliance’s five guiding principles: accountability, learning and development, organizational culture, data, and communications.Now in its third iteration…

The shipping company DFDS has received the Danish Shipping Company's Diversity Award 2025 at Danish Shipping Company's annual event in connection with Copenhagen Pride.DFDS was nominated for the 2025 Diversity Award in recognition of its strategic and courageous efforts for diversity, equality and inclusion. The jury particularly highlights DFDS' strong leadership anchoring, where DEI goals are integrated into both KPIs and bonus schemes, as well as the broad anchoring of initiatives in core processes such as recruitment, salary, and leadership development.

The U.S. Navy will rename an oil tanker that had been named after slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk, U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday, the military's latest move under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to root out diversity, equity and inclusion.In 2016, the U.S. Navy said it would name one of its new class of oil tankers after Milk, a Navy veteran who later became one of the first openly gay people elected to public office in the U.S.The USNS Harvey Milk was christened in 2021, as part of the John Lewis class of tankers.A U.S.

When the newbuilt tanker vessel Fure Vyl leaves the shipyard, Ailene Barrios heads the technical department on board. She is one of very few Filipino women in the business who have advanced to be a Chief Engineer.Furetank hopes that more will follow.Barrios started working with Furetank 16 years ago after finishing her studies and has been continuously promoted as she has obtained her licenses.“Furetank has always supported me to do my best. Being promoted has come with some fear every time, but I have overcome it, being excited and always up for the challenge.

The second Women in Maritime Survey has been launched to gather baseline data about women’s participation in the maritime and ocean fields.Conducted every three years by the IMO and the Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA International), the survey takes a global snapshot of how many women work in these sectors and in what roles.The aim is to analyze trends and support the creation of programs and policies to boost women’s participation in maritime. The previous study…

A series of new recommendations have been published Danish Shipping that aim to end bullying and harassment onboard Danish-flagged ships.The recommendations were announced at Danish Shipping’s annual Blue Pride Bar event and handed over to the Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Morten Bødskov.The move follows the announcement in January 2024 by Bødskov of a series of initiatives to prevent bullying and harassment on Danish ships. One of these initiatives was the creation of best practice recommendations…

Cathrin Prikker has been appointed President of WISTA Germany and plans to use her platform to promote empowerment, connection and dialogue in the industry.Prikker heads up waste management company Top Glory Marine along with fellow Managing Director (MD), Silke Fehr.After entering the maritime industry and seeing it was largely dominated by men, Prikker became passionate about diversity and empowerment and joined WISTA after wanting to be involved in change through an organization…

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has awarded five scholarships to students at the University of Tasmania as part of its recognition of the importance of diversity.The funding of A$47,000 is part of its 2024 scholarship program.The recipients are:Tenisha Jones – AMSA Sara Bool Women in Maritime Engineering ScholarshipAngelica Starlight – AMSA First Year Access Scholarship for Maritime StudiesSamantha Roser – IMAS Environmental Excellence AMSA ScholarshipKyla Fuller and Tracey Vella – AMSA Vocational Near Coastal Seafaring Scholarship.AMSA Chief Executive Officer…

After its launch at last year’s London International Shipping Week, an exhibition spotlighting the inspirational stories of women in maritime is coming to Portsmouth, United Kingdom.Launching on Friday August 2, members of the public will be able to experience the free SHE_SEES exhibition hosted in Boathouse 4 at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, spearheaded by UK-based global safety and education charity Lloyd’s Register Foundation.The exhibition, hosted in partnership with Portsmouth Historic Quarter and the University of Portsmouth…

Guy Platten, Secretary General of ICS, has been awarded the prestigious Man of the Year Award by the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association , UK (WISTA, UK).The award ceremony was the flagship event of WISTA’s 50 Years Summer Celebration which took place at the IMO headquarters in London.The awards were presented by IMO Secretary General, Arsenio Dominguez, and President of WISTA UK, Monica Kohli.The award celebrates Guy Platten's unwavering commitment to advancing gender diversity and inclusion within the maritime industry.

The role women play in ensuring maritime safety will be celebrated worldwide by the IMO on this year's International Day for Women in Maritime. Observed globally each year on May 18, International Day for Women in Maritime aims to promote the recruitment, retention and empowerment of women in the sector, as well as a barrier-free work environment.Ahead of the day, the IMO will host an international symposium on Friday, May 17 at IMO headquarters in London, under the theme ‘Safe…

During this year’s annual conference held in Edinburgh, the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) took the opportunity to explore and debate the question of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) with the ambition of taking concrete steps to enhance its own representation and that of the marine insurance community more generally.Patrizia Kern-Ferretti, Chair of IUMI’s Nominating Committee, is driving the initiative and explained: “In 2010, after IUMI having been in existence for more than 135 years, I was only the second woman to chair an IUMI Technical Committee.

Seven IMO Member States have nominated a candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the IMO in what could be a win for diversity in maritime.Three of the seven are women, and if elected, Nancy Karigithu of Kenya would also be the first African to hold the post. The other female nominees are Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry (Dominica) and Minna Kivimäki (Finland).They are joined by nominees Moin Uddin Ahmed (Bangladesh), Suat Hayri Aka (Türkiye), Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco (Panama) and Zhang Xiaojie (China).The term of the current incumbent…