International Women’s Day (8 March) is celebrated every year as a day to commemorate the struggles for women’s rights.

“Women of the Sea, Women of Power, Women of Shipping“ were honoured yesterday in Piraeus at the event “Women in Shipping” organised by the Naval Warfare Fund (NAT) at the Organisation’s Hall, on the occasion of tomorrow’s Women’s Day (March 8).

As noted in a relevant announcement, 10 women, each of whom, in a different capacity, offer their work and soul to Greek shipping, shared their personal stories and their views on the role of women in shipping, in an event dedicated to women who, with their passion, strength and dedication, chart paths in a demanding but exciting world.

“Whether you are on board or supporting the evolution of the shipping industry with your knowledge and vision, you are all part of a change worth celebrating. Today, we recognise not only the successes but also the journey, the challenges, the small and big victories that have brought us here,” said the Governor and Chairman of the Board of Directors of NAT, Georgia Maniati, in her welcome address.

As a woman at the helm of a leading institutional body of the sector, she spoke about her journey in the shipping industry, about how she experiences the role of women in this field and how this role can be further strengthened through the modern tools that NAM has been developing in recent years to meet the new challenges for the development of human resources in shipping.

One of the key tools in this direction is the annual report on maritime employment of the NAT. The data of the Seafarers’ Analytical Periodic Declaration (ARD), reported in the seafarers’ employment reports of NAT, show that the Greek shipping industry has a strong female flavour and, indeed, a dynamic one.

Specifically, except the pandemic period, when the number of female seafarers decreased, as women seafarers were mainly employed on passenger ships, which, due to the reduction in travel and the decline in tourism, were particularly affected in the first phase of the pandemic, from 2022, the employment of women in the industry has been increasing continuously. In 2022, the increase amounted to 6.8%, i.e., a total of 1,619 women were employed, while in 2023, a new increase followed, and 1,838 women were employed in the sector, representing 7.2% of the total of 25,540 employed seafarers (men and women). In 2024, a new increase of 7.8% followed, meaning that 2,048 female seafarers were employed out of a total of 26,232, well above the international average of less than 2%.

According to the statement, their personal stories, experiences, challenges, beautiful and difficult moments they have experienced in the industry, and their vision for the role of women in shipping were further shared by the ladies:

Vivi Koliopoulou, Angelikousis Group executive and President of WISTA Hellas,

Alexandra Gkana, Operational Manager of GANMAR SHIPPING and member of the Board of Directors of the Short Sea Shipping Operators Association,

Eleni Papadopoulou, Captain and the first woman elected member of the Board of Directors of the Panhellenic Union of Merchant Navy Captains (P.E.P.E.N.),

Ourania Sika, Captain on the ship “MARAN POSEIDON” of the company MARAN TANKERS MANAGEMENT INC,

Panagiota Fragioudaki, Lieutenant Commander on board the ship KNOSOS PALAS of Minoan Lines,

Christina Tzouganatou, Captain of Tsakos Shipping and Trading S.A.

Louisa Michalopoulou, Student at the Merchant Navy Academy (AEN) of Aspropyrgos,

Ioanna Christidou, wife of a sailor and

Anastasia Paloumpis-Anagnostopoulou, President of the Maritime Museum of Greece.

The event was addressed by the General Secretary of Social Insurance and former Administrator of the NAT, Konstantinos Tsagaropoulos, who stressed, among other things, that in the NAT, through a series of actions and especially through the exhibition on maritime employment, “we have managed, together with the responsible Deputy Minister, Panos Tsakloglou, to highlight the importance of women’s participation in the maritime sector, as well as the need to strengthen this participation, which is an important objective of the Greek government”.

He stressed that our beloved shipping, “which is of the female gender, is a champion industry at the global level and this result is spearheaded by women seafarers, women shipowners, women dockers, mothers and wives of seafarers, as well as by the women employees of NAT, its Administrator and our Minister, Niki Kerameos, who have contributed to the reform of NAT.”