As the largest dedicated maritime legal practice in the world, we are acutely aware of the value women bring to the maritime industry, the ongoing challenges they face as well as the progress that is continuing to be made, and are committed to furthering and celebrating women in maritime.
Observed annually on 18 May, the International Maritime Organization’s (“IMO”) International Day for Women in Maritime celebrates women’s contributions within the maritime industry and raises the profile of women working within the sector as well as the IMO’s commitment to gender equality.
On 26 June 2025, London partners Anna Robinson and Kate Silverstein hosted a webinar to celebrate the IMO’s International Day for Women in Maritime, titled ‘Waves of Progress: Women steering the future of ESG and finance’. They were joined by Sarah Choudhry, General Counsel at CoolCo; Lesley Cotton, former CPO at P&O Ferries and Director of Lesley Cotton Consulting; Hannah Gilbert, Policy Advisor at the UK Chamber of Shipping; and Yuan Yuan Tan, Director – Transportation & Logistics at ING.
The webinar was split into two distinct sessions: progress, challenges and change for women in maritime, with a focus on shifting policies within organisations, moderated by Anna; and the role of sustainable finance in driving gender equity, moderated by Kate.
Progress and challenges
A notable area of progress is the shift from male-dominated leadership. Increasingly more women are taking up senior and leadership positions in maritime. This shift towards more female representation has accelerated in recent years, driven by more concerted efforts to both attract and retain diverse talent. This shift is reflected in WFW’s 2023 Sustainability Imperative, which saw 32% of surveyed maritime professionals rank ‘diversity targets and board constitution’ as their top ESG priority in terms of decision-making.
Further progress is seen in the emergence of more inclusive surroundings which combat the (perhaps unintentional) unwelcoming environments that women previously had to navigate; whether being the only woman in the room or having to be overly assertive to succeed. Mentorship programmes and women acting as role models for those in more junior positions fosters a sense of camaraderie and belonging that previously did not always exist.
Additionally, regulators and industry bodies are driving meaningful progress on promoting gender diversity in the maritime industry through a variety of methods. The IMO publishes reports that take a deep look into women in the industry, looking not only at the number of women in maritime but at retention and recruitment rates to monitor progress. Regulators are also championing companies that go above and beyond whether by publicly promoting inclusive leadership practices, establishing mentorship programmes or providing unconscious bias training within their workforce.
Despite the positive waves made, according to the IMO less than 20% of onshore roles in the maritime industry are held by women with fewer holding offshore positions; challenges clearly remain. Two areas of concern include working practices and conduct. For those working offshore in particular, striking an acceptable work-life balance and safeguarding wellness remains a challenge, with flexibility to accommodate different needs such as childcare arrangements still in need of improvement. Conduct issues often arise because of the international nature of seafaring which results in certain ‘grey areas’ around the definition of harassment due to cultural differences.
Sustainable finance and gender equity
Sustainable financing is playing a key role in closing the gender gap in the maritime space. By linking financial incentives to gender-related performance targets, tools like sustainability-linked loans and bonds offer borrowers preferential rates when they meet specific diversity targets. This means by tying financial benefits to measurable KPIs borrowers are inclined to adopt various beneficial practices be it improved hiring practices, targeted training or the development of leadership pathways for women. In 2023 WFW advised on one of the first KPIs relating to gender diversity ever seen in a shipping loan. Of course, given the limited pool of female seafarers, borrowers may struggle to meet such KPIs, to combat this, it is imperative to consider the bigger picture and focus on long-term progression.
Gender equity continues to play an important role in furthering the future of women in the maritime industry. Women need to have the same access to opportunities, resources and recognition in the sector. Investment in mentorship programmes and leadership development is crucial but there are short-term investments that can and should be implemented to ensure women’s safety, comfort and wellbeing. This could be a simple as the provision of female-specific PPE.
ESG initiatives like the aforementioned sustainability-linked loans certainly open doors for women, but long-term, real change requires sustained effort and top-down commitment to nurturing female talent with the support of male allies, cultural transformation and revised policies.
WFW supports female talent throughout the firm and our key sectors of energy, infrastructure and transport – including maritime – through our We Further Women network. Through events such as this webinar and our Women in Transport, Women in Maritime Disputes and Women in Energy and Infrastructure networking events, we promote the continuous dialogue required to drive further change for women in the maritime space.
