Press Release: The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) will join International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim at the 2019 World Maritime Day Celebration to share the video, which has been created as a reminder of the important role that women play in shipping today, and more importantly to encourage more women to enter the industry and join the ranks of professional seafarers who play such an important part in the world economy.
Expected at the event will be senior representatives from all sectors of the shipping community, including shipowners, shipmanagers, NGOs, legal and finance specialists and educators.
In advance of the evening, Kitack Lim said: “To ensure its own sustainability, shipping needs diversity in the workforce. Diversity is better; it’s better for teamwork, better for leadership – and better for commercial performance. This video from ICS reinforces the fact that the industry is fully embracing this idea. I am sure it will help spread the word about how important it is to support and promote women in the maritime community.”
ICS has a long-standing commitment to developing women in the shipping industry. In 2016 it endeavoured to collect for the first time in the industry definitive information on women seafarers in the shipping community. The latest ICS BIMCO Manpower Report predicts an increase in the number of women seafarers in coming years. It estimates that at the time of publication there were around 16,500 women seafarers forming part of the global supply of seafarers. It is equally positive that the largest percentage of women seafarers in the sample were in the process of training to be officers.
The Secretary-General of ICS, Guy Platten, said: “Our industry needs to attract the very best talent and we must use all means to encourage a more diverse workforce. I am delighted that ICS has been invited to showcase our animation at IMO’s World Maritime Day Celebration.”
Earlier this year ICS helped kick off World Maritime Day activities when it co-hosted a special event on the theme of ‘Empowering Women in the Maritime Community’ which took place at IMO headquarters. Guy Platten moderated a panel discussion of prominent maritime figures who used their personal experiences to highlight some of the issues faced in this endeavour.
The video is available in English, French and Spanish, both with and without subtitles. Please click here for the full portfolio.
