Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the Transport Sector: Join the Women in Transport Equity Index Survey Today!

In today’s rapidly evolving world, promoting diversity and inclusion has become a key focus for organisations across various industries. The transport sector, in particular, strives to address the gender imbalance and create a more equitable environment.

The ‘Women in Transport Equity Index’ is a collaborative project that aims to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the transport sector. This initiative provides HR directors and managers with a unique opportunity to contribute to the industry’s transformation by sharing their valuable insights and experiences.

Why Participate? By taking part in the Women in Transport Equity Index 2023 survey, you will play a crucial role in shaping a more diverse and inclusive future for the transport sector. Here are some key reasons why you should consider participating:

  1. Influence Positive Change: Your input can significantly impact driving positive change within your organisation and the industry as a whole. By sharing your organisation’s practices and policies, you create benchmarks and best practices promoting diversity and inclusion.
  2. Gain Valuable Insights: The survey provides a comprehensive overview of gender diversity within the transport sector. By participating, you will receive individual scores. Once you have completed the index questions and submitted your answers in the Progress Hub, you can unlock FREE access to WORK180’s full DEI assessment survey (normally valued at £2,500) for a limited time only.
  3. Recognition as a Diversity Leader: Top-performing companies will be acknowledged in the Women in Transport Equity Index report. By showcasing your organisation’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, you position yourself as a leader in the industry, enhancing your employer brand and attracting top talent.

How to Get Involved: Participating in the Women in Transport Equity Index survey is straightforward. Register today and encourage your HR team to complete the survey, ensuring your organisation’s voice is heard in this transformative initiative. The survey consists of 15 mandatory and 7 optional questions designed to gather essential data on gender diversity within the transport sector.

As a recruitment partner, we understand the importance of diversity and inclusion in fostering a thriving and successful workforce. The Women in Transport Equity Index survey provides an unparalleled opportunity to contribute to transforming the transport sector and shape a more equitable industry. By participating in this groundbreaking initiative, you demonstrate your commitment to diversity and inclusion, gain valuable insights and position your organisation as a leader in the field.

Please take action now and join us in promoting diversity and inclusion within the transport sector. Together, we can drive positive change and create a more equitable future. Register for the Women in Transport Equity Index survey today and make a difference!

To register and learn more about the Women in Transport Equity Index survey, visit https://bit.ly/3XspsQY

The 2023 OSCAR Dragon Boat Race

The OSCAR Dragon Boat Race is back in London on 15th September as the finale event during London International Shipping Week.  It’s time to sign up your team! 

The cost is £500 and each team pledges to help raise funds which are helping to develop bone marrow transplant and childhood leukaemia treatments and research.  We have already funded new treatments which are saving children’s lives but there is a much more to do.

Oldendorff Carriers are very generously continuing their support as both sponsors of the event and by taking part in the racing.  To join them as sponsors, please email [email protected].

Union Maritime – our biggest ever fundraisers – are back to see if they can raise the bar even higher.

A huge thank you to both of them and all the teams who have already signed up: Oldendorff, Union Maritime, ONE, A.M.Nomikos, NorthStandard, Oceonix, J.P.Morgan, The Baltic Exchange, Munich Re, Thomas Miller and Spinnaker.

Visit our website for more information and to watch a short film about the event, or you can go straight to the sign up page.

All enquires please to [email protected].

The Day of the Seafarer – Day 6

In today’s blog we asked Cathal M.Kirwan, Master/Marine Consultant, presently working as a Marine Rep contracting for BV Solutions for his thoughts on a career at sea and any advice for those starting out in the industry. 

What did you enjoy most about your career at sea? 

Adapting to change daily. 

What drove you to pursue a career at sea?  

I come from a seafaring tradition. However, mine was fishing and my Dad wanted me to get an education first. So, I found the only University course that could get me to sea, and I have never looked back. 

What challenges have you faced in your career as a seafarer, and how have you overcome these? 

The biggest challenge is the enforced management ideology that ‘those on the ship don’t know how to manage the ship’. I bore this with patience for many years and then while in private yachting found a place where my managers were there to assist me and not the other way around. 

What advice would you give to young people who are looking to start a career at sea? 

Look at the career as a broad spectrum, with literally hundreds of career paths at sea alone. Don’t be afraid to change, you gain experience and that will stand to you as you develop your career. 

The Day of the Seafarer – Day 5

In today’s blog we asked Royner Hawerstrand, former Master and now retired, for their thoughts on a career at sea and any advice for those starting out in the industry. 

What did you enjoy most about your career at sea? 

To meet people from different occupations and share experiences. 

What drove you to pursue a career at sea?  

To see the world as 16-year-old and in the small place I grow there were quite a few active and retired seamen. 

What challenges have you faced in your career as a seafarer, and how have you overcome these? 

The most challenges I had was as a Chief Mate in chemical-cleaning, preparations, planning load different grades of cargo. 

Most of the time you are alone, but I have never been afraid to ask or research for answers. 

What advice would you give to young people who are looking to start a career at sea? 

Do your homework before you join and if you decide to join you can never find a better job. I did it for 46 years and if someone should ask ‘would you do it again?’ my answer would be without hesitation “YES”. 

You can follow the hashtag #DayOfTheSeafarer for 2023 content and come back to this blog page tomorrow for another interview. 

Maritime Speakers Bureau wins Diversity and Inclusion accolade at the 2023 Crew Welfare Awards

20 June 2023. London, United Kingdom.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA International) proudly announced that their joint project, the Maritime Speakers Bureau, has won The Crew Welfare Diversity & Inclusion Award. It was presented during the virtual Crew Welfare Week conference on June 20 and recognized the Maritime Speakers’ Bureau’s ground-breaking work in the maritime sector. The accolade was gratefully accepted on behalf of the organizations by Mr Kitack Lim, the Secretary-General of the IMO and Ms Elpi Petraki, the President of WISTA International.

Launched in October 2022, Maritime Speakers’ Bureau is a pioneering initiative encouraging women in the maritime sector to inspire, educate and engage audiences by becoming registered speakers on the platform. Furthermore, the Bureau actively encourages conference organizers to pledge their commitment to diversity and inclusion, highlighting the significance of representative voices in industry events.

Mr Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the IMO, said, “It is with great pleasure to accept the Crew Welfare Diversity and Inclusion Award, which acknowledges the Maritime Speakers Bureau’s commitment. I firmly believe in the importance of women’s representation in the maritime industry and their ability to share their experiences and expertise. The most effective way to achieve this is by ensuring diverse and inclusive panels at conferences and events. That is precisely why IMO, in collaboration with WISTA International, has launched the Speakers Bureau to promote female speakers. There are countless knowledgeable and experienced women in this field, and their contributions are invaluable in shaping a more diverse and inclusive maritime sector. Once again, I extend my gratitude for this Award, which recognizes our joint efforts in supporting women in the maritime.”

Despite the progress made in recent years, women still face significant challenges in the maritime sector. Underrepresentation in leadership roles, gender bias, limited networking and mentorship opportunities and lack of visibility are some obstacles hindering women’s career growth. The Maritime Speakers Bureau serves as a powerful platform to confront these challenges by providing role models, fostering networking opportunities and promoting women’s expertise across diverse maritime subjects.

Ms Elpi Petraki, President of WISTA International, stated, “I want to express my gratitude to everyone who voted for us. It is crucial to emphasize the significance of the initiative by IMO and WISTA in showcasing women who are experts in their respective fields and can share their expertise. We urge all conference organizers to utilize this platform when facing challenges finding female panellists. By doing so, they contribute significantly to enhancing the visibility of women in the maritime industry.”

“It is imperative that we establish an inclusive and supportive environment within the maritime industry. Through the Maritime Speakers Bureau, our goal is to foster diversity in leadership, combat gender bias and provide tailored mentorship and networking opportunities for women professionals. We firmly believe that by empowering women and showcasing their achievements, we can inspire positive change and reshape our industry’s future, ” concluded Ms Elpi Petraki.

The IMO-WISTA Maritime Speakers Bureau has outlined its key priorities for the next five years. Its primary objective is to create the most comprehensive directory of speakers worldwide, fostering a diverse and inclusive network of maritime experts and thought leaders.

You can read the full article on the Image Line website – Maritime Speakers Bureau wins Diversity and Inclusion accolade at the 2023 Crew Welfare Awards – Image Line

The Day of the Seafarer – Day 4

In today’s blog we asked Mohammed Abdullahi, Deck Officer at Atlantas Ship Management for his thoughts on a career at sea and any advice for those starting out in the industry. 

What do you enjoy most about your career at sea? 

The challenges. I enjoy the thrill when something technical challenges my knowledge and then I get to solve it with my team. And of course, the welfare I receive from my company.  

What drove you to pursue a career at sea? Who inspired you? 

I am northern Nigerian where a career at sea is not known much. I am the only seafarer in my family. I was also inspired by a company in UAE during my online research as a high school student.  

What challenges have you faced in your career as a seafarer, and how have you overcome these? 

Technical challenges which I enjoy when I get to solve them through critical thinking and understanding of the equipment.  Nevertheless, there are the challenge of homesickness.  Sometimes you miss your loved ones, but as a human but that is normal. 

What advice would you give to young people who are looking to start a career at sea? 

Make sure you love it. Make it a passion and you will enjoy every bit of your career at sea because most seafarers join for a good salary, (I am not saying that a good salary is a bad thing), but make sure that you also love your job. 

You can follow the hashtag #DayOfTheSeafarer for 2023 content and come back to this blog page tomorrow for another interview. 

World merchant ship fleet growing steadily

shipping

Sustained growth in the world fleet of merchant ships is a positive backdrop for employment of shipping professionals. And further enlargement is likely, although signs point to a slowing expansion rate.

But this broad view masks varying changes among the fleets of the main vessel types – bulk carriers, tankers, container ships and gas carriers. These ships comprise over 90% of the entire carrying capacity, transporting a wide variety of dry and liquid bulk commodities and manufactured goods around the world.

Building today’s fleet

Looking at statistics for merchant ship fleet growth, it soon becomes clear that expansion has been remarkably steady. During the past five years, the average annual growth rate was 3.2%, following a 3.4% average in the previous five years. This pace enabled the capacity to grow by almost two-fifths, from 1639 million deadweight tonnes at end-2012 to 2265m dwt at end-2022, according to Clarksons Research data.

On closer examination of the figures for different vessel types, some contrasts are evident. Bulk carriers, the biggest world fleet segment, saw 3.4% average growth in the past five years, after a 3.5% average in the previous period, quite similar to the overall merchant fleet averages. For tankers – the second largest segment – the corresponding averages were 3.0% and 3.3%, also in line with overall progress. In the container ship segment, average growth rates for the past five and previous five years were quicker at 3.7% and 4.2%. By contrast LNG carriers saw much faster 7.7% and 6.9% averages.

This data confirms what many people in the industry have been aware of, that the LNG carrier fleet was growing rapidly, while container fleet expansion was also quite brisk. Another feature is more moderate growth in the past five years compared with the previous period, except for LNG carriers where an already fast expansion rate accelerated.

What is predictable tomorrow?

A tendency towards slowing fleet expansion seems to be a realistic outlook for the next two years, based on expected inflows and outflows of ships. This expectation is partly based on current relatively low shipyard orderbooks for newbuildings. Prospects for scrapping, which diminished in the past few years, are much more difficult to assess.

The overall world orderbook currently remains equivalent to only 10% of the existing merchant ship fleet, with many of the ships on order due for delivery this year or next. One notable exception is container ships, numerous newbuildings having been ordered during the recent boom period, resulting in a current orderbook equivalent to 26% of the existing fleet. For LNG carriers, where there are expectations of fast future trade growth, the percentage is remarkably high at 52%.

Despite large orderbooks in a couple of segments, the general picture is one of restrained ordering. Likewise sales for recycling have been restrained. These outcomes are partly explained by charter and second-hand market trends, resulting in freight rates, vessel prices and market expectations that provided insufficient incentives to order more new tonnage. Market trends were solid enough to support employment of existing ships.

There is huge uncertainty about shipping market prospects. An especially large aspect causing much anxiety, because it is so puzzling, is how to tackle the drastic carbon emissions reduction that the industry is under pressure to achieve. It seems clear that the conundrum, of what alternative fuels and technology to adopt, has limited both newbuilding orders and scrapping. Until a clearer route towards decarbonisation emerges many shipowners seem inclined to prolong the lives of older ships.

Nevertheless it is widely predicted that recycling sales will pick up over the next couple of years. An acceleration could be greatly influenced by the tightening of carbon emissions regulations starting at the beginning of this year. Potentially a large number of older ships unable to comply with the new EEXI and CII rules, the impact of which will become more evident in 2024, will be scrapped. This expectation reinforces the idea of decelerating merchant fleet enlargement unfolding.

Article written by Richard Scott FICS Committee Member, London & South East Branch, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers

Interview Advice from Matt Cornelius, Director of Recruitment, Spinnaker

interview

As maritime recruitment specialists, we have been putting candidates forward for interviews with our ship owning and ship managing clients since 1997.

The interview process can be stressful. Often this may begin with a telephone or Teams interview before moving to either a one, two or even three stage face-to-face interview. The client will undoubtably have multiple candidates to interview, many of whom will possess similar skills and experience.  It’s important that you stand out from the competition and make a lasting impression on hiring managers.

Earlier this year we asked Spinnaker’s Recruitment Director Matt Cornelius for his top tips when it comes to interview techniques.  Here’s what he had to say:

Solve the problem

Identify the problem you are being brought in to fix, visualise how you will solve the problem the employer faces and walk them through exactly how you will solve this for them. If the hiring team can visualise you in the role and recognise the benefit you will bring them this will massively boost your chances of succeeding in the interview process.

Always be closing

This is a classic sales mantra, but it really applies to interviewing too. Try to leave the interview knowing you’ve addressed any point of concern they might have. I would recommend asking if they have any concerns about your suitability for the role. Unless you ask you might leave the interview without knowing they had a concern and therefore missing the opportunity to address this.

Research, Research, Research

This is a pretty obvious recommendation but surprisingly overlooked. You really need to research the company you are interviewing with, read any press releases you can find, find out who their key personnel are etc… Showing you know about the company demonstrates you are serious about the position and will also give you the basis from which you can answer their questions. Having not researched is a sure-fire way to put the hiring manager off. If you are applying for a position via a Recruiter I would always recommend asking them for any guidance on who you are meeting with and what format to expect if they haven’t already told you!

Stick to the Question asked

Try to listen as carefully as possible to what you are being asked. You don’t need to answer right away so taking a pause and properly thinking about how to address the specific question asked of you is important. Try not to go off on tangents and lose sight of what was originally asked.

Be Honest

Questions will often be asked where you perhaps lack experience of. If you try to fabricate an answer, 9 times out of 10 the interviewer will know that you don’t have the experience they have asked of. There is no harm in saying that something is a current blind spot in your experience, but you would be excited to learn. Companies will value integrity and enthusiasm over trying to cover up for something!

Ask Questions

Interviewing is a 2 way process. As much as a company is assessing your credentials for the role, you are also assessing whether the company is the right fit for you. An interview should be a conversation, not a Q and A session and asking questions yourself not only helps shape your view of the company/ the role for your own guidance but also demonstrates you are taking an interest in learning about what you are potentially going to be walking into. 

Practice

This is particularly relevant for those with less interview experience but applicable to even seasoned interviewees. There will be some standard questions that frequently come up in one guise or another so practicing how you would respond and having a good idea of what to say already is recommended i.e. what attracted you to this role? Involving family members and partners in helping to ask questions will get you in the mindset of thinking on your feet even if it’s difficult to recreate an interview environment.

Matt Cornelius is Director of Recruitment at Spinnaker, and you can read his full article on LinkedIn.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-important-skill-interviewing-matt-cornelius/

You can contact him via email [email protected] or call +44 (0)1702 480142

The Day of the Seafarer – Day 3

In today’s blog we asked Captain Alexandros Serpanos, Fleet Personnel Manager at Euronav, for his thoughts on a career at sea and any advice for those starting out in the industry. 

What do you enjoy most about your career at sea? 

There are unlimited opportunities for development, whether that be personal, professional or financial. 

What drove you to pursue a career at sea? Who inspired you? 

There wasn’t any source of inspiration, the primary drivers were my adventurous spirit and the total absence of financial resources. 

What challenges have you faced in your career as a seafarer, and how have you overcome these? 

In my opinion, the greatest challenge for a seafarer/officer, is feeling either unappreciated or undervalued by the industry’s stakeholders (regulating and enforcing authorities or ship managers/owners) which became more than evident during the COVID19 pandemic. I overcame the challenge by being stoic. 

What advice would you give to young people who are looking to start a career at sea? 

They should have vision, discipline, dedication, consistency and patience. 

They should prioritize their physical and mental health by investing in proper nutrition, exercise, rest, reading and minimize practices such as smoking, alcohol, social media etc. 

You can follow the hashtag #DayOfTheSeafarer for 2023 content and come back to this blog page tomorrow for another interview.