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Women Taking to Technical and Operational Roles in Maritime: Joy Basu
Women Taking to Technical and Operational Roles in Maritime: Joy Basu
15 June 2026
Gender equality is essential for an inclusive, diverse, equitable and forward-looking maritime industry.
The International Day for Women in Maritime 2026 was marked on May 18.
Maritime is traditionally a male-dominated industry. Women make up around 16 to 19 percent of the global maritime workforce, and women account for up to two percent of the seafaring workforce.
To know more about the gender gap, the role that women play in the industry, and how this has been transforming, I connected with Joy Basu, CEO of Smart Ship Hub.
Basu
Here’s what he said:
Women in the Maritime Industry
The maritime industry has undergone a significant transformation over the course of my career. Earlier, women were largely limited to a few shore-based commercial or administrative roles, while women onboard vessels were extremely rare.
Today, we are seeing women succeed across technical, operational and leadership positions, including technical superintendents, surveyors, vessel managers and even Master Mariners commanding vessels.
What is especially encouraging is that much of this progress has accelerated over the past four to five years. More organisations are actively investing in diversity, training and leadership development, while maritime academies are attracting increasing numbers of women cadets.
We are also seeing women break long-standing barriers and move into senior executive leadership roles across the industry. These examples are helping reshape perceptions and encouraging the next generation to view maritime as a viable long-term career. Overall, the industry has become far more inclusive, and the momentum towards greater representation continues to grow positively.
Do men and women bring different strengths to maritime roles?
Maritime has traditionally been a male-dominated industry due to the demanding nature of seafaring, including extended periods at sea, physically challenging work environments and long hours away from family. However, the industry is evolving rapidly, and women today are contributing successfully across both onboard and shore-based functions.
Diverse teams naturally bring broader perspectives and a stronger balance to the workplace. Many women in maritime demonstrate exceptional attention to detail, strong compliance awareness and a heightened focus on safety, well-being, and operational discipline. These qualities can positively influence onboard culture and support best practices across operations.
Women also often bring valuable perspectives to problem-solving, team management and communication, particularly in multicultural environments. In many demanding situations, women have shown remarkable resilience and adaptability.
Experience
One of the most noticeable changes in recent years has been the growing presence of highly capable women professionals across technical and operational maritime roles. I have had the opportunity to work with women technical superintendents, marine surveyors, procurement heads and vessel management professionals, and the experience has consistently been positive and professional.
Initially, there may have been a sense of admiration or surprise simply because such roles were traditionally male-dominated. However, over time, those perceptions naturally disappear as working relationships develop through regular interactions, collaboration and shared operational responsibilities.
What stands out most is the professionalism, discipline and competence these women bring to their roles. In many cases, they have successfully established themselves within highly demanding environments and earned the respect of colleagues, crew members and industry stakeholders alike.
Offshore and Onshore
Gender tends to become more noticeable on board vessels simply because women crew members are still relatively fewer compared to men. However, from my experience, women serving as surveyors, technical officers, electrical officers or onboard specialists are generally well accepted and highly respected for their professionalism and competence.
Onboard operations may require additional safety considerations, welfare measures and support systems, particularly around accommodation, wellbeing and emergency response procedures. As more women join seafaring roles, many organisations are already adapting their policies and onboard infrastructure to support more inclusive working environments.
At the same time, the increasing digitalisation of vessels and the adoption of smart technologies are helping improve safety, connectivity and onboard welfare for all crew members.
Onshore, gender differences are becoming far less noticeable as women continue to occupy senior operational, commercial and leadership roles across the industry.
Overall, the maritime sector is steadily progressing towards a more balanced and inclusive professional environment.
Challenges Women Face
One of the biggest challenges women may face in maritime is the need to establish acceptance and credibility, particularly in traditionally male-dominated operational environments. Often women working onboard and ashore feel they need to work harder initially to prove their capabilities and gain the confidence of peers or senior colleagues.
Life at sea is demanding for everyone, regardless of gender, due to long tenures away from home, high-pressure work environments and physically challenging conditions. However, women may also face additional concerns around personal safety, privacy, wellbeing and workplace inclusion.
The positive aspect is that the industry is increasingly recognising these challenges and taking progressive steps to address them through improved policies, stronger support systems, mentorship programmes and more inclusive workplace practices.
Do women have to prove themselves more than men?
In many cases, yes, particularly in operational and technical maritime roles that have traditionally been dominated by men. Because women are still relatively underrepresented in certain areas of the industry, there can sometimes be an expectation for them to demonstrate their capabilities more visibly before gaining full acceptance from peers or senior colleagues.
However, this perception is gradually changing as more women successfully take on leadership, technical and onboard operational roles across the sector. As organisations become more inclusive and performance-driven, competence and professionalism are increasingly valued above gender.
Importantly, many women professionals in maritime have consistently demonstrated high levels of resilience, discipline, attention to detail and leadership capability. Their success is helping challenge outdated perceptions and paving the way for future generations.
Advice
For men working with women at sea, the most important advice is to foster a culture of professionalism, respect and inclusion. Maritime operations involve confined environments, long working hours and extended periods away from home, so maintaining mutual respect and healthy workplace behaviour is essential.
Organisations should also provide proper gender-sensitisation and workplace conduct training to ensure safe and supportive onboard environments for everyone.
For women considering maritime careers, my advice is to approach the industry with confidence, resilience and a willingness to learn. Maritime remains demanding, but it is also evolving rapidly and creating more opportunities for women across technical, operational and leadership roles.
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