DIVERSITY INITIATIVE

Northern Marine will use one vessel under its management for the All Aboard Alliance’s Diversity@Sea pilot to test a variety of real-life measures to improve working conditions for seafarers.

Participating companies have committed to meeting a series of minimum requirements onboard one pilot vessel within their fleet.

These include having a minimum of four women onboard (a high number in an industry with less than 2 percent women), providing appropriate conditions for menstrual needs, providing 24/7 Wi-Fi for crew members, and ensuring that all seaborne staff have access to inclusive personal protective equipment.

In Northern Marine, planning is ongoing to confirm the selected vessel, with their participation in the offshore pilot initiative scheduled to begin in April 2024.

The pilot will explore different approaches to improving work-life balance for everyone at sea and will implement ambitious protocols for ensuring a work environment free from bullying, abuse and harassment.

Thomas Campbell, General Manager, Clyde Marine Training (Northern Marine Group), is project managing Northern Marine’s part in the pilot and is a member of the Diversity@Sea Committee.

He said: “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a key objective at Northern Marine, and we are very proud to be part of the All Aboard Alliance and the Diversity@Sea pilot.”

“We are one of 11 shipping companies who are entering vessels into this pilot to ultimately increase the number of female seafarers in global shipping and our own managed Fleet over the coming years.”

In the first part of the Diversity@Sea project, 115 interviews with seafarers helped identify ’15 Key Pain Points for Women at Sea’, which were published earlier this year.

Following this, leaders, seafarers, and experts from the involved companies worked together to codesign 40 concrete measures to address these pain points.

Thomas added: “The project seeks to test the measures and give us valuable insight into what constitutes an attractive and inclusive career at sea, allowing us to drive the necessary changes.”

“The launch evidences our collective dedication to create transformative change and ensure respect, dignity, and inclusivity are cornerstones throughout the entire industry.”

To track the progress of the participating companies towards the stated goals of the pilot, the Global Maritime Forum will gather and assess data from crew members onboard the pilot vessels in partnership with independent maritime data analysis firm PsyFyi.

Comparative analysis with non-participating vessels will offer insights into the effectiveness of these measures.⁄