The 2020 IMO campaign encourages everyone to treat seafarers with the respect and dignity they deserve so that they can continue to provide their vital services to keep world trade moving.

The 2020 IMO campaign encourages everyone to treat seafarers with the respect and dignity they deserve so that they can continue to provide their vital services to keep world trade moving.
Green shipping becomes extremely important in 2020. Ships are no longer just a means of transporting goods and people at sea, but are also a potential instrument for maintaining ecological environment. Maritime expersts are looking for ways to realize this by implementing various programs, creating innovative technologies and testing alternatives fuels. A thriving business combined […]
The Chinese government’s latest five-year plan aims to “put into effect the philosophy of innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared development”. Chinese authorities clearly recognise the need to “open up” in order to integrate into the world economy in the field of green shipping.
The problem of low employment of women in the maritime sector mostly affects women with very high qualifications.
25 women from 17 developing countries took part in the two-week “Women in Port Management” course, hosted in Le Havre, France (24 June – 5 July). The course covered lectures on port management, port security, marine environment, facilitation of maritime traffic, marketing, port logistics and other topics.
In a modern, well-functioning society diversity is an accepted norm. People of different genders, ages, beliefs and cultures mix, giving broad perspectives and enriching understanding. Everybody benefits from that. In shipping, although the numbers are very old, we know that only around 2% of seafarers are women, with no clear idea of how gender plays out in land-based and support roles and sectors – says Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou – president of WISTA.
According to the latest Women Forbes ranking, it is easier for women to succeed and have a creer in countries undergoing strong economic transition then in those with stable economies. In countries that are chasing the West and developing twice as fast as the EU average, it is easier to break the “glass ceiling” and get to the top. Women in Poland, Romania and China are leaders in this respect. While we observe a positive phenomenon in the context of maritime education, there is still a long way to go in the context of the maritime labor market.
The year 2019 was established by the IMO International Maritime Organization as the year of recognizing the importance of the role of women in maritime economy. Highly qualified women who managed to gain their place on the maritime labor market showed their strength, qualifications and determination in gaining a high professional position. Women in Poland, Romania and China are leaders in this respect. The current UN, IMO trends, the emerging new formula of the sustainable, safe and ecological shipping, seem to be an opportunity to increase the participation of high qualified women on the maritime labor market.
Participants discussed China’s potential ratification and implementation of fisheries-related conventions aimed at improving safety standards on fishing vessels.