The General Directorate of Maritime Affairs (DGM) of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure organized an event titled “Women Who Left Their Mark in Maritime: My Story, Our Future” within the scope of International Day of Women in Maritime.
The event, hosted by the General Director of Maritime Affairs Ünal Baylan at the Highways Ortaköy Social Facilities, was also attended by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of İMEAK Chamber of Shipping Tamer Kıran. Many female representatives from public institutions, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations participated in the program, where women in the maritime sector shared their experiences and views on the industry.
Speaking at the opening of the event, Ünal Baylan stated that the rate of female representation in many NGOs today is quite good. Baylan said, “When we look at statistics, there are approximately 2 million seafarers in the world. The global average consists of 2% women. We have around 141,000 ship personnel. The rate of women among us is 6.3%. We are above the world average.”
Stating that they have implemented many projects, Baylan emphasized that they provide internship opportunities for female students studying in maritime departments, and noted that within the scope of the project, 235 female students have found internship opportunities on international ships.
Noting that the number of marine pilots is 663, Baylan stated that the number of female marine pilots is 8, and said, “We hope this number will increase in the near future.”
In his speech, İMEAK Chamber of Shipping’s Tamer Kıran stated that women and men constitute half of the world’s population and emphasized the importance of being together in all areas of life. Expressing that women are present in every field of the maritime sector, Kıran said, “We are proud of this.”
Following Ünal Baylan and Tamer Kıran, the female representatives attending the event shared their experiences in the maritime sector, their career journeys, and their views on the industry.
In the speeches made, the increasing role of women in maritime and their representation power in the sector came to the forefront.
The event ended with a cocktail after all participants expressed their opinions.
Özlem Çoban / 7DENİZ
