A new initiative aimed at improving gender diversity at sea has been introduced by Hapag-Lloyd in partnership with Jebsen PTC, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management (Germany) GmbH and Marlow Navigation Co. Ltd. The programme, named Shefarer, is designed to encourage more women to pursue maritime careers while creating stronger support systems for female crew members already working on board vessels.
As part of the initiative, the partners have committed to increasing female representation within trainee recruitment. Under the programme, women are expected to make up at least 20% of all future cadet intakes, including within the international crew pipeline and among emerging Filipino maritime talent.
The scheme will also see the introduction of designated Shefarer vessels, where multiple female seafarers will work together across a variety of departments and seniority levels. The intention is to normalise the presence of women in operational roles at sea, ranging from cadets and engineers to officers and captains, rather than having them viewed as exceptions within crews.
Alongside recruitment efforts, the company is also investing in upgraded onboard facilities. New vessels entering service over the next few years will include separate changing rooms, showers and toilet facilities for women, with the aim of creating a more inclusive and comfortable working environment.
“With the Shefarer Program, we are creating concrete structures to help more women enter the maritime industry and build long-term careers at sea. Mixed crews strengthen communication, collaboration and mutual respect on board. Our goal is to increase the visibility of women at sea and to create more career opportunities for them across our fleet.”
– Silke Lehmköster, Managing Director Fleet at Hapag-Lloyd.
Women currently represent 5.71% of Hapag-Lloyd’s seafaring workforce, while four female captains are presently serving across the company’s fleet, accounting for 4.6% of its captains overall.
The launch of the Shefarer Programme forms part of the company’s broader long-term strategy focused on raising the profile of maritime careers and attracting new generations of skilled professionals into the shipping industry.
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