By James Brewer
His Excellency Kitack Lim, secretary general of the International Maritime Organization, has underlined the UN body’s determination to support efforts to ensure gender equality and opportunities for women in the maritime industries.
A line-up ahead of the award presentations.
The IMO chief was speaking at a summer drinks event of WISTA UK with the theme of Saluting the Seafarer, during which he presented nine awards for excellence. As he met WISTA members and guests, a brisk breeze cooled an evening of bright sunshine on the roof-top balcony of the IMO building at Albert Embankment, on the other side of the Thames from the Palace of Westminster where attention was on a different challenge, the political battle among contenders to become the next prime minister of the UK.
Giving the inaugural speech to the WISTA gathering on July 14, 2022, Mr. Lim said it was a great honor to address members of the association at IMO headquarters, and he thanked WISTA for organizing the event. Maritime transport was crucial for international trade and played a key role providing sustainable development, yet women continued to be under-represented in all maritime fields, and that needed to be changed.
In fine good humor, he joked that he had left his scripted remarks in his office, but whatever the truth of that, there was no doubting his personal, and the IMO’s collective, commitment to promoting the advancement of women.
He stressed that IMO has been strengthening its efforts to address gender imbalance and encourage industry to enthuse younger generations by means of role models and attractive career paths. On May 18, 2022, the IMO launched the first International Day for Women in Maritime, to be marked annually on that date to acknowledge and pay tribute to the accomplishments of maritime women. The anniversary is to “promote the recruitment, retention and sustained employment of women in the maritime sector and support work to address the current gender imbalance in maritime.”
On May 18 was released the 2021 IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey report on the proportion and distribution of women working in the maritime sector in IMO member states, indicating that women account for only 29% of people in the industry and 20% of in national maritime authorities in member states.
Women seafarers were just 2% of the crewing workforce “a very small figure,” said Mr Lim, and these were mainly in the cruise sector.
“Women are vital for the sustainable future of maritime,” declared the secretary general. Women are working in all facets of the maritime sector across the globe to support the transition to a decarbonized, digitalized and more sustainable future for the industry. Gender equality must be embedded in all the work of the IMO, he insisted.
Presenting certificates, Mr. Lim offered hearty congratulations to all the merchant navy Medal recipients.
Monica Kohli, WISTA UK president, thanked sponsors for the event: the Indian Maritime Association (UK), Quadrant Chambers, Waves Group, Ocean Network Express, Reed Smith, Stephenson Harwood and Right Ship. In turn, members acclaimed Ms. Kohli and her team for the immaculate way in which the event kept to timing and plan.
She invited to the front of the gathering Maria Dixon, one of the earlier members of WISTA, to thank her for her involvement throughout her career in the movement, including an important term as president of WISTA UK. Maria reminded members that WISTA began in London in 1974, after a handful of colleagues met for Christmas drinks. From that get-together grew an international organization, today numbering a presence in 54 countries, with upwards of 3,800 members worldwide. WISTA UK’s 50th anniversary is only two years ahead!
WISTA UK aims to be a major force in attracting more women to the industry and seeks to “enhance members’ competence and empower career success.” It has more than 140 members, and encourages young people in the industry to join, to enable them to gain from support and mentoring and from present members’ contacts and experience.
Paul Butterworth, chair of the Seafarers’ Charity, congratulated the IMO on inaugurating its annual day for women in maritime. Women in the sector were for many years “unsung and unheard, people who had done a fantastic job,” said Mr. Butterworth. The charity is a grant funder, normally distributing between £2.5m and £3.5m a year to other charities. In 2021, it awarded 74 grants totaling £2.9m to 56 organization’s.
As it has been for 105 years, the charity is officially called the King George’s Fund for Sailors, but in 2005 changed its working name to Seafarers UK, and even more recently to the Seafarers’ Charity to reflect its global outlook. Its patron is the Queen and president the Earl of Wessex.
Mr. Butterworth said that the new strategy of the Seafarers’ Charity was to reduce seafarer hardship by identifying systemic problems and tackling them at source.
He said that it was coordinating the Seafarers International Relief Fund, a central fund to respond to emergencies affecting seafarers and their families, and currently supporting seafarers impacted by the crisis in Ukraine such as those stuck in ports. The emergency appeal is backed by the Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris, the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), Sailors’ Society, the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) and other charities and non-governmental organization’s, working alongside industry representatives. He introduced the charity’s chief executive, Deborah Layde, who was present at the event.
After the short presentations, all enjoyed under continuing brilliant sunshine a fine buffet dinner, drinks including cocktails, and plenty of networking.
