How India can help women thrive in the maritime industry

When it comes to maritime industry insiders, there is no question about the benefits of being in shipping. That is not the case for outsiders - far too often the scale and significance of this global industry is invisible to the uninitiated.

During interviews with more than 30 women on the fringes of India Maritime Week 2025, the SHE_SEES team asked for ideas, insights and views on how India can encourage more females to enter and excel in shipping. 

For many, it’s primarily down to raising awareness.  “We must do more to publicise the industry as many people don’t see maritime as a career option. Aviation is always in the news, so people know about it. We should campaign more about maritime. Driving this awareness must extend to the colleges and the schools. The importance of the industry needs to be included in lessons and be part of the curriculum", says Vijayalaxmi Sharma a senior manager at Fleet Management.

And this involves speaking to the right audiences. “Over here [in India] doors are being opened for women, but it is very important to reach to the right people in the households, says Preeti Gaur, Senior Manager, Communications at the International Maritime Institute. “It's not the minds of the young kids that need to be changed, it's the minds of their parents and their grandparents.”

She adds: “India is different from other countries as decisions are not down to a single individual - decisions are made by a family and the younger ones look up to their elders.  You cannot just inform one audience such as the young kids and students about the maritime industry, it’s about inspiring and informing the elders of the family. If we get this right, I think more females will get the chance to be on board.”

Third Officer Sakahi Kushwaha agrees: “I think it has to do with families. I was allowed to sail because my father and other family members were also sailing but not everyone knows about seafaring, especially people who live in landlocked states. We really need to educate younger girls and their families that a seafaring career is possible, and this is not only something boys can achieve. It's doable - trust me.”

Digital marketer, Anaya More, shares this view. “We need to make this industry more familiar to Indian families, letting them know that that girls can join and they will be secure,” she says. 

Assuring that women working at sea are safe and supported must be among the key messages according to many of the women we interviewed.

Redneshwary Kandeepan, who works in crewing for tugs and barges, says we need to educate society that being in a ship and being at sea is not something dangerous. “Society must understand that this is a field where a woman can thrive and we need to make sure vessels have the facilities to accommodate women.”

People need to be educated about the levels of protection that exist for seafarers - from governments and others - as well as maritime industry’s focus on safety, adds Bani Bhalla, General manager for student welfare with the International Maritime Institute.

Divya Nair, a clinical psychologist at Fleet Management, is also calling for a better understanding on what safety at sea means and looks like for women. “For those women who are already at sea, we need to empower them with a sense of psychological safety so they can speak up when they are disadvantaged,” she adds.

A further ambition of some interviewees is ensuring that there are enough women in management positions.

“We have seen women make strides in the maritime industry - Indian women specifically. We hold the maximum number of sailing women - the most women seafarers in the world, even more than the Philippines. However, we still lack in the number of women in leadership positions,” says Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi, a marine pilot with the Syama Prasad Moorkerjee Port, Kolkata. 

“We need to get women into the boardrooms where they belong. For that, we need to build their skills as well as promote their capabilities.  Capacity building opportunities are lacking - we need to work better there. The more women in leadership and decision-making roles, the better it is the whole industry as we will get gender parity faster when we have women at the helm.”

Purba Bhattaccharjee, Senior Executive Deputy Manager Traffic, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata agrees, “We need to address concerns about female capability. In higher posts and at more senior levels, questions sometimes emerge about whether women can cope with the demands. These thoughts should be removed. Only then will women prosper in maritime.” 

For Sumi Sahi Dutt, Director of Sitara Shipping Limited, this also means India must deal with the patriarchy in its society which sees sons favoured over daughters. She says this will require acceptance that women can work in shipping, and not just at a junior level. “When we talk about women heading companies or starting a business, in India people do not respect that. They respect a woman who sits in the house. That mindset needs to change,” she adds. 

The role of leadership on recruitment was also mentioned, with Nandhini Veeraraghavan, Group HR and Travel Director, Su-Nav Group, pointing to the influence of leadership behaviours over the direction of the company. 

“Every candidate will look closely at the senior management - how we talk, how we work, how we engage, our attire - everything counts when it comes to recruitment.  You're not just talking to a candidate - you're bringing them into your family as a part of your group so culture and conduct really matter a lot,” she explains.

For Suchi Aurora, senior manager finance with Mini Ratna CPSE under Ministry of Ports Shipping & Waterways, despite the progress of the past decade and the rise in the number of female Indian seafarers, there is still not enough female representation. 

She would like to see more enhanced leadership mentoring programmes, incentives for shipping companies to hire more women and promotion of STEM education. 

Fortunately, says Aurora, there is government support for these ambitions. Among these is the Sagar Mein Samman programme that seeks to foster equality, diversity, and inclusivity for women in the maritime industry. Launched officially in May 2025, by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, it aims to increase women's participation at sea and onshore, aiming for 12% female representation in technical roles by 2030. 

Almost everyone we interviewed readily acknowledged the energy and effort being given to getting Indian women into shipping, from the events driven by Maritime SheEO or Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) India to initiatives coming from government.

“India is a very progressive and forward-looking nation. Our policies are very women-centric, and we are encouraging women to join the labour force, even in industries where women are not stereotypically found,” says Paromita Ghosh Majumdar, Deputy traffic manager at Kolkata’s Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.