Recently, a video of a “woman born in 1996 serving as Chief Officer on an ocean-going cargo ship” went viral across the internet. On the eve of International Workers’ Day (May 1st), a reporter conducted an exclusive interview with this woman.
When the reporter contacted Wu Yunyun around 6 PM on April 30th, she was crossing the Taiwan Strait with her ship. The sea was rough, and the signal was intermittent. When the signal was good, her crisp and cheerful voice could be heard—the 30,000-ton /chemical dual-purpose vessel was carrying chemicals towards Europe.
This Anhui native, born in 1996, took only seven years to rise from intern to Chief Officer. She is also the highest-ranking Chinese female crew member sailing on China’s chemical tankers on ocean routes.
A Two-Way Commitment
In the summer of 2018, Wu Yunyun graduated from Jiangsu Maritime Institute. At the recruitment site, Ye Shengbing, Chairman of Taihua Ship Management Co., Ltd., noticed a female student with an exceptionally strong desire to go to sea. Recalling the scene, he said: “She said she must sail, she must become a Captain. She had that drive.”
“I was set on a maritime career. At that time, I thought I would at least become a Chief Officer,” Wu Yunyun recalled vividly about the recruitment. She became the first female ocean-going crew member recruited by Taihua.
It is reported that during her school years, Wu Yunyun served as the League Branch Secretary of her class and received numerous honors, including the National Encouragement Scholarship, Corporate Scholarship, Golden Anchor First-Class Scholarship, and Merit Student awards. Xie Baofeng, Deputy Secretary of the General Party Branch of the Navigation Technology College at Jiangsu Maritime Institute, explained that female crew members were indeed very rare back then. With societal development, more and more women are now studying maritime majors, and the number of female crew members is gradually increasing.
“A junior from the Marine Engineering Department is now on the same ship as me,” Wu Yunyun happily told the reporter.
Wu Yunyun, who claimed to have mentally prepared herself before boarding the ship, never expected seasickness to be so severe at sea: “I vomited seven times a day, and later became dehydrated. Lying down was okay, but as soon as I stood up, I would vomit immediately.” “After working for three months, I really couldn’t take it anymore and had to take leave. The ship doesn’t support idle people; everyone does their own job, one person for one position.” Standing 1.6 meters tall, her weight once dropped to 44 kilograms. Recalling this, Wu Yunyun still felt emotional.
It was in this state of seasickness that Wu Yunyun persevered through sheer willpower. It took her one and a half years to advance from intern and ordinary seaman to Third Officer.
As a woman, Wu Yunyun also suffers from dysmenorrhea. She said her journey to where she is now relied not only on perseverance, “but also on my physical fitness. I knew many years ago that health is the foundation of revolution, and I have always maintained the habit of working out.”
Now, Wu Yunyun still gets seasick, especially during strong winds and heavy waves, to the point where she can’t eat. She cannot even touch strongly flavored items like onions or garlic. But her mindset has changed. “I accept it psychologically. Although I feel dizzy, I can still work and basically no longer vomit.”
On the ship, Wu Yunyun not only had to overcome physical and physiological challenges but also practical and language barriers, as work communication on board requires English. “When I first boarded, why was I called an intern? It was for me to learn. What you learn at school is theory; what you learn on the ship is practice. You need both. Learn by doing, and build your skills.”
February 2026, Wu Yunyun chairs a safety meeting before cargo loading and unloading
In September 2025, Wu Yunyun became a Chief Officer on an ocean-going cargo ship. Her salary increased from $300 during her internship to $600, and now to around $10,000 in her Chief Officer position.
Over more than seven years, she has served on nine different ships for training, starting from routes in Southeast Asia to now sailing globally. Her current destination is Europe, on a ship with a deadweight tonnage of 30,000 tons. “Our company mainly operates /chemical dual-purpose vessels for transporting chemical products. Within this industry, these are very large ships,” Wu Yunyun said proudly.
Zhan Yihuan, Deputy General Manager of the company, introduced that the innate advantage of female crew members being meticulous is even more important in shipboard work. When she was Chief Officer, during a port call in the United States, with the efforts of the Captain and all shipmates, the vessel passed Port State Control and Flag State inspections with “zero deficiencies,” which is a very high commendation in the industry.
The ship is like a small society. Crew members stay on board for a year at a time. The Chief Officer must assist the Captain in coordinating and managing all affairs and various aspects of the entire crew.
“Staying awake for 24 hours is normal,” Wu Yunyun said. “No mistakes can be made during cargo loading and unloading operations. This is a hazardous chemical tanker; it might be carrying concentrated sulfuric acid or caustic soda. A leak would be an environmental pollution incident and could lead to criminal liability.”
After unloading, the Chief Officer must enter the cargo hold for inspection, which requires climbing a 17-meter-high climbing frame, with one section nearly vertical at 90 degrees—a test of physical strength.
She has heard many cynical remarks: “You’re so young and thin, what can you do?” “You might as well find a good man to marry.” In her early days as a crew member, “I’ve heard all kinds of comments, good and bad. But the company treated me very well, specially arranging an experienced Captain to mentor me and providing a separate bathroom and shower.” Now, Wu Yunyun has proven herself through her abilities. She even brought a folding piano on board, playing it in her spare time and video chatting with her parents.
Wu Yunyun’s goal is to obtain her Captain’s license next year. She wants to command a ship sailing around the world. “After becoming a Captain, I will continue studying and aim for the Port State Control Officer qualification. This certification is very difficult to obtain. But I will take it step by step, day after day, and eventually, there will be results.” Source: Jiangsu Maritime Institute
