Oquerlina Costa was appointed president of the Maranhão Port Administration Company (Emap), responsible for the management of the Port of Itaqui.
The professional succeeds Isa Mary Pinheiro Mendonça, Director of Administration and Finance, who served as the interim holder during the last months, becoming the first woman to hold the top position at Emap.
The new president has a background in public administration, including a position as Undersecretary of Environmental Resources of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Sema). Throughout her career, she has also worked on environmental projects related to the logistics sector, broadening her experience in strategic areas for sustainable development.
Oquerlina’s rise to the presidency of Itaqui gains greater relevance in the national context. According to the second Survey on Gender Equity in the Waterway Sector, published in February by the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) and Wista Brasil, women represent only 17.8% of the workforce in Brazilian ports, which represents a slight increase of 0.5 percentage points compared to 2022.
In management positions, women represent only 15% and in operational roles it reaches 10%, demonstrating that there is still room for advancement in gender equality in the sector.
