News

On May 17th, some members from the Women in Green Shipping (WiGS) community gathered in London to celebrate the International Day for Women in Maritime 2024.

The event was a resounding success, featuring a fantastic workshop hosted by Sarah Rollings at the Shell Centre. This was followed by an inspiring visit to the IMO which included a symposium under this year’s theme “Safe Horizons: Women Shaping the Future of Maritime Safety”. The day concluded with an evening reception hosted by the IMO.

On behalf of SGMF, we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for their enthusiastic participation. Special appreciation goes to Isabela Tatu and Virginia Cinquemani for their outstanding workshop and the IMO for giving an opportunity to members from the WiGS community to participate in the celebrations.

The workshop slides can be downloaded here, and below are the key discussion points from our breakout groups, along with their corresponding action items:

1. Challenge: Diversity as a prerequisite, i.e., how to think globally.
   Action Point: Engage with schools.
2. Challenge: Stop working in silos.
   Action Point: Engage with stakeholders and change the way we communicate.
3. Challenge: KPIs and costs are not filtered down from high-level management.
   Action Point: Take KPIs to another level.
4. Challenge: Ownership and responsibilities.
   Action Point: Champion and influence sustainability.
5. Challenge: Challenges faced by women in shipping.
   Action Point: Break down the data and start a research paper.

Creating a more inclusive and diverse maritime industry is a collective effort. We can make a difference by taking small, meaningful steps. As Paulo Coelho once said, “Change. But start slowly, as direction is more important than speed.”