The persistent plague of pay inequity (and what to do about it)

The gender pay gap is a persistent plague in workplaces around the world. Despite modest progress over the decades, women continue to earn less than men across industries and roles. It’s time for organisations to move beyond talk and take concrete action to ensure fair and equitable pay.

The Data Doesn’t Lie

Statistics clearly show that full-time working women in the US earn just 82 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to a yearly pay difference of over $10,000. For women of colour, the gaps are even larger. Black women earn just 63 cents and Latina women only 55 cents for every dollar paid to white men.

Within individual companies, unfair disparities also fester. Studies of tech firms show women in technical roles earn 29% less than men. In finance, the gap is 31%. Female lawyers earn 44% less than their male colleagues.

Over a lifetime, these gaps accumulate. One analysis found the average woman loses over $400,000 in earnings over a 40-year career compared to a man. The pay inequity also leads to lower retirement savings for women.

Excuses Don’t Cut It

Some try to rationalise away the gender pay gap, but the data doesn’t lie. Occupational choice explains some but not all of the disparity. Studies controlling for profession, education, experience and other factors still find significant unexplained pay gaps favouring men.

Gaps exist from day one and widen over time. A study found men’s starting salaries were $4,000 higher than equally qualified women. After just one year, men earned 7.9% more for the same performance.

Motherhood accounts for some lost earnings, but not the entire difference. Childless women still face gaps compared to fathers and childless men.

Unconscious bias also lurks below the surface. Women are less likely to be promoted and often evaluated more harshly. They also face barriers when negotiating pay and raises.

Pay discrimination diminishes women’s economic security and perpetuates gender inequality. It’s not just a women’s issue – families and communities suffer too. The time for excuses is over.

Progress Requires Action

To achieve pay equity, organisations must move beyond talk, to concrete steps like auditing pay, promoting transparency, removing negotiation barriers, and more.

It starts at the top. Leaders must make pay parity a strategic priority, dedicate resources, and track outcomes. While challenging, equity strengthens culture, boosts retention, and fuels performance.

Employees who feel valued work harder and more innovatively. Equitable pay also helps attract top talent in a competitive market. Plus, discrimination lawsuits are avoided.

Achieving gender pay parity requires work, but the payoff is immense. Fair pay cultivates inclusion, spurs innovation, and builds a values-driven culture. There’s no better time than now to act.

If you’re starting a business, use a tool to spark creative business name ideas that resonate with your culture and goals. Then build an action plan, get leadership buy-in, and start driving change.

Intersectional Impacts

The pay gap is even larger at the intersection of gender and race. Black, Latina, Native American, and some Asian women face the double disadvantage of gender and racial bias and generally speaking, own a smaller percentage of small businesses.

Organizations committed to equity must examine pay gaps across racial groups, not just between men and women overall. This intersectional analysis is key to uncovering the full picture.

Time For Action

The path to pay equity may be long, but the destination is worth it. Fair pay attracts talent, boosts retention, and fuels performance. Most importantly, it’s the right thing to do.

Don’t wait for government action. Individuals and organizations have the power to drive change now. Conduct an audit, promote transparency, remove negotiation barriers, and commit to intersectional analysis.

Achieving equal pay won’t be easy, but it’s necessary. Take the first step today. Our families, communities, and economy depend on it.

Authored by Rob Lora, a business professional at the Chamber of Commerce in the USA. Rob has extensive experience in workforce solutions and a keen eye for market trends and industry dynamics. You can read the full report here Cities with the Largest Gender Pay Gaps (2023) | Chamber of Commerce

Solicitor Recruitment Advice: Part 1 – The CV

We asked Tom Brooks, Senior Recruitment Consultant on our Legal, P&I and Insurance desk for his advice to Solicitors looking for a new role in the industry. In the first of a three-part series, we ask for any hints and tips on writing a CV. Take it away Tom!

tom

So, you qualified and have been with the same firm for the best part of a decade. The dream job has come up and you’re interested in making a move but haven’t written a CV since those days applying for Training Contracts. So where do you begin, and what is important? And why do you even need a CV in the first place when the market knows who you are?  

Let’s start by addressing the questions I am asked more frequently: 

The market knows me, do I even need a CV?  

I’m afraid so. The market may know youbut that doesn’t mean they know about you. 

My LinkedIn profile is good enough surely?

LinkedIn is a great way to promote yourself and your professional identity, but it does not (usually) provide the comprehensive summary of your skills and your experiences to date like a CV does. Think of it like your LinkedIn is the synopsis of your experience and the CV is the story. 

And remember – it is still important to make sure LI matches your CV in terms of the timeline, especially dates! 

How much detail do I need to include?  

Simply put, as much as possible please! List case examples in bullet points. Don’t list every single one but certainly do mention the higher profile ones or the ones that have specific relevance to the job you are applying for. E.g if you are applying for a personal injury-focused role, then highlight personal injury cases in your CV. 

Including achievements, both professional and personal, is a brilliant way to make your CV stand out. Hobbies as well – hobbies are one of the parts of the CV that make you personable and unique.  

Any additional language skills you have are vital to include, as well as the extent to which you speak it e.g., working proficiency, conversational etc.  

No need to include personal details such as marriage status, date of birth or a photo.  

Do include any published pieces of work.

I am a qualified Solicitor, do I need to show my prior education too? 

I currently have two in-house roles that require 2:1 or above at degree level and strong A-level results. Some I have worked on even go as far as to specify the exact degree needed, even if someone is UK-qualified. So, it is important to include all your education. 

Another thing to include is any additional training you have completed alongside your day job. E.g. MBA’s, PhDs etc. Any key seminars and training events you have been to are useful to show both for the fact you have gained that extra training, but it also shows a commitment to personal and professional growth and development.  

How long should my CV be?

Ideally a CV will be around two pages in length. However, it is often the case that it is not possible to fit all the required information in that space so please don’t worry if goes on to three or even four pages, provided the content included is relevant and of value to the prospective employer.  

Key things to remember.

  • Qualifications / education first. Then career in reverse chronological order, starting with your current role. 
  • Something that is commonly overlooked is to state your year of qualification as a Solicitor, ideally under the education section of your CV or in the opening summary section. Whilst the completion date of your Training Contract will indicate this, sometimes HR professionals or Line Managers sift through several CVs, so having key information like this easy to read is vital. 
  • Ensure your dates are accurate. If you qualified in 2010, make sure your CV states 2010 – prospective employers will check this for accuracy.  
  • Pay attention to detail – spelling, grammar etc. 
  • Keep introductions short but informative. Start by describing yourself factually e.g. “A 10PQE Solicitor with extensive experience in dry shipping and commodities disputes.”  
  • Be prepared to adapt a CV depending on the role you are applying for. Target it for the intended recipient.  
  • Don’t be shy about writing about your achievements and hobbies.  

I appreciate that it can be daunting to write a CV or even talk about your own achievements, so should you need any further advice or pointers, then please get in touch either by email, [email protected] or call the office +44 1702 480142. You can also connect with me via LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-brooks-b08096b5/

This is the first of a three-part series and stay tuned for the following articles will also consider the interview process and negotiating a job offer.

Hot Jobs – Top 10 maritime vacancies – October 2023

shipping jobs

For over 25 years, Spinnaker has been assisting shipowners, shipmanagers, oil majors, and P&I clubs in fulfilling their recruitment requirements. Every day, we receive a constant influx of new job openings, all conveniently listed on our website. To simplify your job search, we have handpicked a collection of the ten most sought-after positions available right now. Get in touch if you’re interested but do it quickly as they won’t be around for long!

A full list of current vacancies can be found on our website:

LPG Technical Superintendent – Singapore

In this role, you will plan and monitor class and flag state survey schedules, oversee maintenance and repairs, manage drydocking projects, evaluate supply requisitions, monitor vessel performance, provide technical consultancy, coach personnel both on shore and at sea, and ensure overall regulatory compliance.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/lpg-technical-superintendent-singapore-89845

Admin Manager – Hamburg

As a professional, service-oriented and energetic individual, you will run the day-to-day office operations, communicating and coordinating with both internal and external stakeholders
on a variety of tasks.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/admin-manager-hamburg-89832

Sales Director – Europe

You will be responsible for developing the sales strategy, sales budget, plans and objectives for this sales team, selling B2B and B2C marine engineering services and spare parts all related to yachts.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/sales-director-hong-kong-89831

Business Development Manager – N. Europe

It is a sales position, so you will have experience and a track record in being able to win new business and contracts. With potential deal values in excess of €5million, your earning potential through commission could be substantial alongside your monthly retainer.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/business-development-manager-89830

HR Manager – United Kingdom

In this role you will be developing and implementing HR policies and procedures, managing recruitment process, handling the full employee life cycle and the performance management process.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/hr-manager-londonswansea-89829

Marine Consultant – United Kingdom

You will conduct and oversee a wide range of marine surveys and provide consultancy services to clients in the shipping industry. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is looking to come ashore to further develop their career in the marine consultancy space.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/marine-consultant-kent-uk-89828

Dry Bulk Operations Manager – Hamburg

Our client, a growing dry bulk business, are looking to hire a a Dry Bulk Operator to join their team in Hamburg, Germany.

They are looking for someone who has 3-8 years’ experience, ideally from a shipowner/operator background.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/dry-bulk-operations-manager-hamburg-89822

Vessel Performance Analyst – London

This role involves helping to improve the performance and efficiency of a global fleet. In this role, you will analyse vessel data, identify opportunities for improvement, and implement solutions to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/vessel-performance-analyst-london-89821

FD&D Claims Handler – London

An international marine insurer is looking to recruit an FD&D claims handler into their London office to deal with clients located across both Europe and the Middle East.

It is essential that you have previous FD&D claims handling experience, which can come from a P&I Club, insurer, law firm, ship owner or ship agent.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/fdd-claims-handler-london-89819

FFA Trader – Hong Kong

This role involves communicating, recommending and advising the team on FFA trading as well as monitoring FFA market movements and preparing and deliver daily and weekly reports.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/ffa-trader-hong-kong-89818

For more information on any of the jobs above, please call the office on +44 (0)1702 480142 or email [email protected]

View these jobs, and more on our website

Press Release: The changing face of maritime HR

Cast your mind back to the mid-nineties. The internet was in its infancy and the only ways to hire staff in shipping were to place an advert in the newspaper or by word of mouth. HR departments were a rarity and those that did have the function often called it personnel and staffed it with people pushed into the role from somewhere else in the business.

Nearly thirty years on, things have changed beyond all recognition. The internet, diversity, equity and inclusion, globalisation, ESG and a general improvement in workplace behaviour have all moved the needle.

“There has been a clear change from HR as an administration function to having a more strategic focus working alongside (often as part of) senior management,” according to Pål Egeland, Director of HR at Saga Welco who has been working in shipping for 15 years.

The shift from no HR to embracing HR as a strategic function was kick-started by the dot.com boom in 1999/2000 when a plethora of new companies were set up overnight.  “They hired whole swathes of shipping people, enthusing them with tales of imminent radical change,” says Phil Parry, Chairman of maritime HR experts Spinnaker.

“The dot.com era suddenly increased demand for experienced shipping staff, the new companies tended to come in with backers from outside of shipping and they brought with them proper HR people and processes. Words like disintermediation became commonplace …but the brokers are still here. I think shipping recruiters and the publishing industry were the only people to make any money out of that period. Remember shipdesk, shipserv, onesea and maritime direct?

“The dotcom boom was soon followed by the market boom from 2001-2008 and this changed the landscape forever. The demand for staff went through the roof – superintendents, chartering staff, operations staff, you name it.”

Growth paved the way for professional HR teams. Most HR professionals coming into shipping felt like they’d stepped back in time. It took a while, but HR in shipping is now unrecognisable.

Dawn Robinson, now Director of Merger Transition at NorthStandard, and previously North’s Global People Director, explained that “HR and People departments add support and a wider context around true inclusive behaviour. They also offer guidance for leaders on dealing with people from many different angles and perspectives.”

Modern business leaders tend to see HR as their right hand, significantly responsible for setting the right tone when it comes to company culture. “It stands to reason that if ‘people’ are the biggest challenge for a leader that a professional empowered HR team is the solution,” says Parry. “Post-covid every sector is struggling to find enough good people and so the critical business focus is on training and retaining them. Company culture and purpose, both corporate and at the individual level, are the hot topics on the lips of CEOs nowadays. It’s not enough to have a trading strategy without a people strategy anymore.”

Maritime HR Association

One of the first requests HR professionals made when joining the shipping industry was for reliable salary data. According to Teekay’s Jim Basterfield, his fellow industry HR Directors would throw their hands up and ask how they were supposed to advise their boards on remuneration in an industry that didn’t share.

Teekay were one of the founding members in 2005 of the Tanker HR Forum,

which was set up by a group of shipping HR Directors from the tanker sector who were determined to change what they saw as a closed shipping mindset.  They had all joined the industry from other sectors and said that it felt like stepping back in time. 

They set up the Forum as a confidential association for discussing and exchanging remuneration data and HR best practices and trends. Unlike other industries, it was unheard of for shipping companies to share information on remuneration and HR practices. This meant pay and rewards were set based upon incomplete gossip and hearsay.

Now known as The Maritime HR Association, the membership club still exists today and boasts more than 100 global shipping company members including Teekay, Saga Welco and Stolt.  They meet annually at a two-day conference to compare HR best practice and glean the latest trends from speakers from the HR world.  The P&I sector has followed suit with its own regular benchmarking and there is also the Seafarer Employers’ Association which benchmarks crew wage costs.

NorthStandard’s Dawn Robinson says that “salary benchmarking has really helped our Clubs to be able to assure our people that we are constantly aware of the market and responding appropriately with our reward strategies.”

Pay data is now a sophisticated business whereby employers can look up pay for specialist jobs in shipping, in specific locations, and compare their own pay to market percentiles.  Anti-trust rules apply to pay benchmarking, meaning that all data must be aggregated anonymously and can only be reported based upon strict criteria.

The Reward Industry is big business in and of itself. To put it into perspective, the merger between insurance broker Willis and HR consultancy Towers Watson in 2015 to create Willis Towers Watson was a merger of equals which created a business with a combined value then of $18 billion.

“It’s not necessarily about being the best payer in the market,” explains Lucy McQuillan of the Maritime HR Association. “Staff will leave a company that they perceive to be paying unfairly, that’s for sure. But they will stay with companies that treat them well, give them purpose and the opportunity for career progression even if the pay is competitive but not the best.  By definition there can only be one top payer of course and even within one company the pay can vary widely. What good benchmarking data does is give employers the tool to position themselves as an organisation and their employees as individuals in the right place in the market.”

Read the full article on Splash 24/7

OSCAR Dragon Boat Race 2023

On Friday 15th September, the last day of London International Shipping Week 2023, teams from the shipping industry raced to raise much-needed funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).

This annual event is organised by Spinnaker’s Chairman Phil Parry and to date has raised £2.7 million for the OSCAR campaign, the namesake of his son Oscar who received life-saving care from GOSH when he was very young.

The OSCAR campaign funds vital research and treatments, and this year is funding research into the new CAR-T cell therapy which aims to help save the lives of children who relapse after their initial treatment for leukaemia.

This year’s event has raised a record £405,000 which is the biggest fundraising amount since the launch of the campaign back in 2011.

The fundraising total includes a minimum of £5,000 raised by every team who participates, sponsorship of the bar from Oldendorff, revenue from spectator tickets and JustGiving donations.

Twenty-two teams participated this year; Spinnaker, Oldendorff, Union Maritime,  A.M.Nomikos, NorthStandard , Oceonix, JP Morgan, Munich Re, ONE (Ocean Network Express), Thomas Miller, Cheniere, CoolCo, Lomar Shipping, Steamship Mutual, Miller Insurance, UK P&I, Conyers, Britannia P&I, Tysers, Navigator Gas and two teams for the Baltic Exchange.

Winners of the event this year were Dragon Race newbies, Cheniere with a winning time of just over 1min 16 seconds. They narrowly beat UK P&I who came 2nd, with Navigator Gas coming in 3rd place.

Sara Stahl, LNG Charterer of winning team Cheniere and organiser of their squad told us “It was the first time that Cheniere has been involved in Spinnaker’s Dragon Boat race, but it won’t be the last! It was an excellent event, and we are staggered by the amount raised for Great Ormond Street. It just shows what the shipping industry can do when they come together.”  

“I am constantly amazed by the generosity of the shipping industry” says organiser Phil Parry, Chairman of maritime people experts Spinnaker and Chair of the OSCAR Campaign. “This year the amount of fundraising has been phenomenal, and a special mention needs to go to Union Maritime who raised more than £300,000 with the support of their brokers and other business partners. The OSCAR Campaign proves how generous and big-hearted shipping people are. I’m proud to be a part of this industry; lives are being saved around the world by new treatments that weren’t possible even a few years ago thanks to shipping.” 

You can view all the photos from this year’s event here. The photos were taken by Tim Browne who gives his time for free every year. Take a look at his website www.timbrowne.co.uk as he is a professional business coach and presenter.

You can see the fundraising totals and there is still time to donate to your favourite team via the Just Giving page. https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/oscardragonboatrace2023

For details about next year’s event email Helen & Phil [email protected] 

A short film about the dragon boat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcDchrW11tM

Hot Jobs – Top 10 maritime vacancies – Sep 2023

shipping jobs

For 25 years, Spinnaker has been assisting shipowners, shipmanagers, oil majors, and P&I clubs in fulfilling their recruitment requirements. Every day, we receive a constant influx of new job openings, all conveniently listed on our website. To simplify your job search, we have handpicked a collection of the ten most sought-after positions available right now. Get in touch if you’re interested but do it quickly as they won’t be around for long!

A full list of current vacancies can be found on our website:

General Manager, Crewing – India

This role is responsible for selecting and managing competent seafarers, controlling crewing costs, and ensuring compliance with regulations and company policies. You will have at least 3 years’ experience in a senior management position as well as a Chief Engineers certificate of competency.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/general-manager-crewing

Freight & Laytime Manager – Athens/Singapore/Hamburg

We are currently working with a growing dry bulk business who are currently looking to make multiple hires for a Freight and Laytime Manager in their offices in either Athens, Hamburg or Singapore.

They are looking for candidates with 2+ years’ experience laytime within the dry bulk market who are looking for a new challenge.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/freight-and-laytime-manager-athens-hamburg-singapore

Marine Processing Technician – Europe

As a technician, you will be responsible for calculating premiums and processing entries on to the inhouse broking system. Amongst other responsibilities, you will also review and process line-slip declarations as and when required.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/marine-processing-technician

Tanker Charterer – London

We are currently working with a division of a UK service provider and shipowner to help with their hire of a Tanker Charterer to join their team in London.

They are looking to bring someone in who can maximise the earning of the tanker fleet from the spot chartering activities of the company.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/tanker-charterer-london

Dry Bulk Operations Manager – Hamburg

Our client, a growing dry bulk business, is looking to hire a Dry Bulk Operator to join their team in Hamburg, Germany.

They are looking for someone who has 3-8 years’ experience, ideally from a shipowner/operator background.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/pr017246-dry-bulk-operations-manager-hamburg

Tanker Operator – London

We are currently partnered with an international shipping company who are looking for a Tanker Operator to join their team in West London.

This role will be 100% office-based and requires candidates to have 3 years’ relevant work experience in tanker operations and the right to work in the UK.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/pr017245-tanker-operator-west-london

Freight Analyst, Dubai

We are currently partnered with a newly launched shipping venture headquartered out of Dubai and connected to a new commodity trader. They are looking for an experienced Freight Analyst to join the new setup which is on the verge of going live.

This role will be working closely with the freight team to conduct global freight market research.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/pr017244-freight-analyst-dubai

Junior Tanker Charterer – Singapore

We are currently working with a growing international shipowner, with a large fleet of close to vessels trading internationally that is on the lookout for a new member of their chartering team to be stationed in their Singapore office.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/junior-tanker-charterer-singapore

Accountant, Hamburg

A well-established international company are seeking a qualified accountant with a minimum of 2+ years’ experience working in a finance department.

You will be joining an international organisation of over 200+ people, responsible for the office in Germany and reporting to the head office in Cyprus.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/pr017242-accountant-hamburg

S&P Escrow Service Manager – Singapore

Our client is looking to hire an Escrow Service Manager with hands on experience in Sale and Purchase or Escrow account experience to join their team based in Singapore. It is highly likely that the successful applicant will develop close links with the ship sale and purchase community in the Asia Pacific region, as well as promoting the service to potential new users.

https://spinnaker-global.com/job/pr017241-sp-escrow-service-manager-singapore

For more information on any of the jobs above, please call the office on +44 (0)1702 480142 or email [email protected]

View these jobs, and more on our website https://spinnaker-global.com/jobs/job-search

LISW 2023 – Attraction & Retention in the Maritime Industry

I was delighted to be able to attend the WISTA UK event on Tuesday 11 September as part of London International Shipping Week. This afternoon event was themed, ‘The time for change is now’, and featured several panel discussions and a ministerial address from Nusrat Ghani MP and Opening Keynote Address by Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General Elect, International Maritime Organization (IMO) .

The first session, ‘Green roles are the future’ was chaired by WISTA UK President Monica Kohli and featured the wonderful Commodore Melanie Robinson CBE, who has recently retired after a 30-year career in the Royal Navy and who I had the pleasure of seeing speak at the Midsummer WISTA UK event at the IMO. Also on the panel were Chuck Kemper, SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer at ABS and speaker at the 2022 Spinnaker Maritime HR Conference, Sarah Kenny, CEO, BMT Group, and H.E. Eng. Essam AlAmmari, VP Advisor, Regulation Sector at Transport General Authority.

If green roles are indeed the future, then the maritime industry needs to be looking at how they are attracting and retaining talent in the industry to fill these roles. Certainly, in terms of attracting the younger generation to the industry, there was a concern from Chuck on the panel that there may be a hesitancy to join a sector that is not seen traditionally as being particularly ‘green’.

With this in mind, organisations need to live their values and not greenwash – this is essential for attracting and retaining talent. People expect to join an organisation that has a clear sense of purpose and a clear ESG strategy.

In terms of digitisation, Chuck pointed out that advancing technology in maritime means that the sector is more attractive to the younger generation than it was 10 years ago. As recruitment specialists here at Spinnaker, we are certainly seeing an increase in the requirement for ‘data’ roles that didn’t even exist 10 years ago.

Earlier in the day I attended the event hosted by ShipMoney at the Churchhill War Rooms. Neil Martin, who has headed up the strategy for F1 teams including Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren and now runs a data & tech business focused solely on offering a competitive advantage to F1 teams, stresses that even just one data person in an organisation can make a difference.

Back at the WISTA event, talk then turned to attracting female talent to the industry. Sarah, along with many other WISTA members are STEM ambassadors and strive to inspire women to join a sector that is almost invisible to graduates. It is surprising that a career in the maritime industry is not promoted as fully as it should be at career fairs or within universities. It’s a well-known fact that 90% of the world’s trade is carried by sea so it is disproportionately underrepresented when it comes to being promoted as a future career choice.

There is also the danger that when we do manage to attract females to the sector, they don’t find anyone they identify with and then we risk losing them.

In terms of increasing female representation within maritime companies, the panel all agreed that ‘quotas’ don’t work. Session chair Monica Kohli asked the panel for any tips or advice for attracting females to the industry. Chuck ran through some of the strategies that ABS had employed to assist with the drive to recruit females to ABS. These included ensuring there is a female on every interview panel, targeting recruiters with finding female candidates as part of a shortlist and a focus on mentoring once female talent has been recruited.

Mel echoed Chuck’s mentoring sentiments and she also placed importance on the presence of positive role models in the industry. She stressed that change takes time and we cannot expect things to happen overnight. She also raised the point that ‘reverse mentoring’ is something she has found beneficial in her career. The younger generation can be more knowledgeable when it comes to green issues and she has allowed them to mentor her.

Sarah reminded us that role models are not always leaders and that we all have duty and responsibility to be ambassadors for the sector and promote the industry to the best of our ability. She felt it would be nice if the maritime industry was eventually viewed as the gold standard and people would be queuing to join the sector.

The theme of attracting talent continued into the 2nd panel session of the day which was moderated by Gina Panayiotou, Secretary General of WISTA UK. This panel was offering a CEO’s guide to ESG. Mark O’Neil, President & CEO of Columbia Group said that as an organisation they have been trying to recruit graduates to the industry. They visited Oxford University in the UK and overwhelmingly the graduates wanted to discuss Columbia’s sustainability vision and ESG strategy over conversations around salary – a sure sign that new recruits to the industry need to find an organisation whose brand values are aligned with their own personal values.

Dr Anil Sharma CEO of the world’s largest buyer of ships for recycling, GMS, echoed words from earlier in the day in that we cannot greenwash. New starters at his organisation are encouraged to visit the shipyards to see for themselves that 97% of the ship is recycled or reused.

Despina Theodosiou, CEO of tech company Tototheo Maritime warned us that we are competing with other industries for data roles, and we need to make the sector attractive. She wants to make sure that technology is there to complement employees, not replace them!

A stark warning was issued as the session closed, from Elisabeth Munck af Rosenschold, Global Sustainability Manager at IKEA, that the urgency of climate change is the biggest issue and the greatest challenge is whether we can all act fast enough.

Article written by Helen McCaughran, Business Development & Marketing, Spinnaker.

London International Shipping Week runs from the 11th – 15th September 2023 and you can view our current sustainability and ESG roles on our website.

The future of the energy powering the shipping industry

We were interested to read in the BBC recently that a cargo ship powered by wind has set out on its’ maiden six-week journey from China to Brazil.

The Pyxis Ocean was chartered by Swiss headquartered commodity giant Cargill, and is fitted with British-designed rigid sails, known as WindWings, which hopefully will pave the way for a greener future in the industry.

The sails are designed to cut fuel consumption and as a result the carbon footprint of this vessel and the shipping industry as a whole. Enabling a vessel to be blown along by the wind, rather than relying solely on its engine, could even reduce a cargo ship’s lifetime emissions by 30%.

In the BBC article, Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill Ocean Transportation, said the industry was on a “journey to decarbonise”. He admitted there was “no silver bullet” – but said this technology demonstrated how fast things were changing. “Five, six years ago, if you would ask people in shipping about decarbonising, they would say ‘well, it’s going to be very difficult, I don’t see this happening any time soon’,”.

“Five years later, I think the narrative has changed completely and everybody is really convinced that they need to do their part – everybody is just struggling a little on how we’re going to do this. That’s why we’ve taken the role as one of the larger players to underwrite some of the risk, and try things, and take the industry forward.”

The technology in the sails was developed by UK firm BAR Technologies. Their CEO John Cooper told the BBC “This is one of the most slow-moving projects we’ve done, but without doubt with the biggest impact for the planet.” He also predicted that by 2025 half the new-build ships will be ordered with wind propulsion.

The BBC also asked Steve Gordon, Managing Director of Clarkson Research and a regular speaker at Spinnaker’s Maritime HR Conference for his thoughts on the future of wind power.

“We have the number of ships using this technology doubling over the past 12 months,” he explained. “This is from a low base, however. In the international shipping fleet and new-build order book of over 110,000 vessels, we have records for under 100 having wind-assisted technology today.”

As maritime recruitment specialists, we are certainly seeing an increase in vacancies with an environmental slant, and responsibilities over and above those found within a HSEQ position. Director of Recruitment, Matt Cornelius is currently searching for a Sustainability Manager for a dry bulk owner’s Singapore office. The person they are looking for will need to be able to provide support on commercial sustainability and ESG projects. Matt has worked for Spinnaker for 13 years and tells us that the demand for people with ESG experience has grown exponentially over this time and is certainly more noticeable in the last 5 years. He commented that companies with a clear ESG message are more likely to attract new candidates, as job seekers are keen to find organisations that have brand values that align with their own ideals.

Find out more about the vacancies that Matt and the team are currently working on via our website.