Charting the course: What sparked these women’s maritime journeys

Never underestimate the importance of parental influence in determining career choices, particularly so in the maritime sector. More than half of the women we spoke to during Indian Maritime Week cited the role of a family member in framing their future ambitions. 

Among them is Prerana Singh, a retired navy commander working in marine bunker operations for Maersk, who swiftly acknowledges that her father has been her greatest influence. 

“As the daughter of a seafarer, I've seen the ups and downs of life at sea. Moreover, I've always seen him relish his life, always acknowledging what he had and cherishing the moments he's had at sea.  As a child, I connected early with the sea. I thought of this as something that I would really like to explore and then I just followed my heart,” she says.

It is the same for cadet Ashiitaa Bhardwaj, who tells us that journey has also been inspired by parents. 

“I have two sisters and I was told very early on in my life to gain financial independence. Being in the Merchant Navy was essentially the marriage of converting my theoretical knowledge into practical scenarios and as well as delivering on my ambition to gain financial independence. That is why I came into this career,” she explains.

Family was also behind Preeti Gaur’s decision to join the industry. According to the Senior Manager Communications with the International Maritime Institute, her journey has been mostly inspired by mariners and merchant navy officers she has in her family. 

“I want to communicate about how this industry is widely open for every gender - female and male. The messages we use to encourage people into shipping are vital and we need communication people like me to articulate them and make sure they reach a wider audience. That's where I have stepped in,” she explains.

Some join shipping because of educators. This is the case for cadet Isha Shakshi.  “The guidance I received on this field came from one of my teachers. He helped me so much – advising me on careers paths, exams and study materials. We need to live life beautifully and I am worried about the environment, garbage and waste. I want to do something in green shipping as I want to make the world free of contaminants,” she tells us. 

Cadet Binisha Sugandhi has also been influenced by a teacher. “When I was studying higher secondary, my math teacher told me all about his dream to work in the maritime industry. Sadly, this is a dream he has never realised. This triggered an instant inspiration, and I am determined to make going to sea my ambition.” 

For those who has come to shipping later and from other industries, it is often the colleagues – leaders or peers - they encounter, who serve as a source of inspiration. 

Divya Nair, a clinical psychologist at Fleet Management, says that coming from a healthcare background, she was very interested to find out about seafaring life. 

“The learnings that I get from seafarers continuously inspire me, but the female resilience that I encounter from the women at sea is the highest source of inspiration – it makes me want to do more, changing the actual groundwork rather than just making boardroom policies,” she explains. 

It was the absence of women in maritime that fuelled Redneshwary Kandeepan’s industry foray.

“When I came into shipping, I never saw any females. It was very male dominated. Even though they name the vessel ‘she’ there was no ‘she’ here,” says the 32-year-old who works crewing for tugs and barges. “Things have changed now and that is inspiring me to do more to talk about and promote the industry on a day-to-day basis.”

The lack of women also piqued Purba Bhattaccharjee’s interest. “In almost every other industry, females and male work togethers but in maritime - there are very few women and that become an inspiration. I thought, why not to venture into this field and find out why there are so few women,” explains the senior executive deputy manager traffic Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.

And there are those whose appetite for the maritime industry builds once they have a taste.  This happened for Dhanya T Mallar, an advocate who practices maritime law. 

“When I moved to Kerala, I was involved in a case where there was a collision between a fishing vessel and a ship. We had to file 14 suits in a week, and we had to negotiate on behalf of the fishermen to get the case settled. I really enjoyed the whole process, and it was so satisfying when we got the settlement for them. So, I thought that this is something I want to keep doing - I like the corporate side of it, I like the human side of it, I like learning about ships. I love everything about it.”