According to Gaby Bornheim, 1.9 million people go to sea worldwide. Only a very small proportion are women. The President wants to change that.
The German shipping president Gaby Bornheim has campaigned for more women on board the merchant fleet.
“We are clear: more female seafarers are needed,” said Bornheim on Tuesday in Hamburg on the International Day of Women in Maritime Shipping on May 18th. This applies “not least because shipping, like all other sectors, also has a problem with young people”.
For the first time this year, the International Maritime Organization IMO dedicated May 18 to women in seafaring. “The day is intended to help promote the recruitment and employment of women in the maritime sector and to strengthen efforts to reduce the gender imbalance in shipping,” says the Association of German Shipowners (VDR). Bornheim has been the first woman to head the association since December.
According to the association, only about six percent of the 6,927 employees in Germany who are subject to social security contributions are female on board the German merchant fleet. Internationally, the male dominance in seafaring is even clearer. According to a report by the international shipowners’ associations Bimco and ICS, only 1.2 percent of the 1.9 million seafarers worldwide are women, according to the VDR.
IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim emphasized that gender equality is “an important basis for a sustainable future”. The IMO, based in London, is a special organization of the UN with currently 175 member countries.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
