The number of Indian women seafarers employed by AP Moller-Maersk, a global integrator of logistics, has surged from 41 to over 350 in three years. The company says this increase is part of its ‘Equal At Sea’ initiative in India to promote gender diversity in its workforce.
With women making up nearly 45 per cent of the nautical and engineering cadets onboarded in 2024, the company has inched closer to its 2027 target of equal gender representation in its cadet intake, says a release.
In its third year, the ‘Equal At Sea’ initiative has achieved remarkable success in India, the release adds. The programme’s objective is to achieve gender equality among Maersk seafarers, address the historical underrepresentation of women among seafarers, and create an ecosystem for the entire Indian maritime sector to improve gender diversity.
The programme brings various stakeholders from across the industry on a common platform, which serves as a hub for exchanging ideas, understanding industry challenges, learning from each other, and implementing best practices, the company says.
This year’s intake of women cadets in the nautical division has already crossed 50 per cent.
Launched in 2023 as a sub-programme of the ‘Equal At Sea’ initiative, Maersk’s ‘Women Rating Programme’ began with 22 trainees in India. Building on its success, the company launched two more batches and currently has 70 women ratings undergoing training, the release says.