A new International Maritime Organization (IMO) film
promoting the role of women in the maritime sector has been launched
during a conference on the Development of a Global Stategy for Women
Seafarers.The conference, held in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 16 to 19 April 2013, organized and funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea
through the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), and hosted by the
Korean Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology (KIMFT), together
with IMO, adopted a declaration of intent towards the development of a
Global Strategy for Women Seafarers.Shipping has historically been a male-dominated industry and that
tradition runs long and deep. However, through its global programme on
the Integration of Women in the Maritime Sector (IWMS), IMO is making a
concerted effort to help the industry move on from that tradition and to help women achieve a representation within it that is more in keeping
with twenty-first century expectations.The film, “Women at the helm” shows how the work of IMO, and others,
is promoting positive change for women in shipping, and highlights
first-hand experiences from those who have already succeeded.Participants at the conference included women seafarers and
government officials from 13 countries from the Asia-Pacific region, two World Maritime University (WMU) lecturers and representatives from two
“women in maritime” regional associations.Mrs. Pamela Tansey, Senior Deputy Director, Technical Co-operation
Division, said the conference had provided a unique opportunity for
women seafarers and policymakers to come together to identify policies
and systems which will promote new opportunities for women seafarers and encourage the exchange of experiences and best practices which enhance
women seafarers’ education, competency and career development.“The Republic of Korea is an excellent example of a country for
which maritime development has been key to economic development.
However, the best technology in the world is useless and can even be
dangerous in the hands of an untrained officer. For that reason, this
conference strikes at the very heart of the shipping industry, by
addressing ways of meeting the predicted shortage of trained and
competent seafarers,” Mrs. Tansey said.She further declared: “This is directly in line with the IMO’s
IWMS programme, now celebrating its 25th year, under which the foremost
priority has been to encourage IMO member states to open the doors of
their maritime institutes to enable women to train alongside men and so
acquire the high level of competence that the maritime industry demands“.The conference adopted the Busan Declaration, in which the
participants agreed to forge partnerships and solicit support of
government agencies, as well as international and regional bodies to
facilitate the implementation of a Global Strategy for Women Seafarers.The conference also adopted a slogan to promote women seafaring: “Go to sea TOGETHER”.
IMO&EU NEWS
21 April 2013 - 19:13
'Women at the Helm' Film Launched at Maritime Women Conference (VIDEO)
A new International Maritime Organization (IMO) film promoting the role of women in the maritime sector has been launched
IMO&EU NEWS
21 April 2013 - 19:13
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