Rewriting Women: UK and Ireland
The UK and Ireland phase of Rewriting Women into Maritime History.
This page is approximately a 8 minute read
Rewriting Women into Maritime History
Equity & Transparency
About the project
Launched in the UK and Ireland in 2023, the Rewriting Women into Maritime History initiative collated material spread across archives and maritime organisations, so that accounts of women in the shipping industry could be identified and placed in the public domain for the first time.
The objectives of the project were to raise the profile of female shipping expertise, experience and leadership from maritime past as well as helping reframe the narrative around women in maritime and help promote gender equity, diversity and inclusion.
The stories were showcased publicly through the SHE_SEES exhibition. Using a mix of striking visuals, art and storytelling, SHE_SEES debuted at the home of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) during London International Shipping Week 2023, and is currently on tour, with a residency at Portsmouth Historic Quarter until August 2025.
The extensive research and interpretation project provides plenty of opportunities for organisations to be involved in outreach activities to engage a global audience. By highlighting the expertise, experience and leadership of women, the programme helps reframe the narrative of a predominantly masculine industry and encourages more people to take up the opportunities offered by a career in the maritime sector today. Figures from the IMO show that women currently account for 29% of the overall industry workforce, and just 2% of seafarers in the crewing workforce.
Now, Rewriting Women into Maritime History and the SHE_SEES exhibition are looking to expand their impact internationally, by telling the stories of women working in the maritime sector in another nine countries around the world. These stories will be captured over the next three years, starting in 2025 with Greece, the Netherlands and India.
Current Partners
The current UK and international partners involved in this initiative include:
Lloyd’s Register is a global professional services company specialising in engineering and technology for the maritime industry. We are the world’s first marine classification society, created more than 260 years ago to improve the safety of ships.
Lloyd’s Register Foundation is an independent global charity with a unique structure and an important mission: engineering a safer world.
WISTA is an international networking organization whose mission is to attract and support women, at the management level, in the maritime, trading and logistics sectors.
The Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA International) is a global organisation connecting female executives and decision-makers around the world. WISTA International serves as a connector for its network of more than 3,800 female professionals from all sectors of the maritime industry.
The International Maritime Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent pollution from ships.
International Chamber of Shipping is the global trade association for shipowners and operators, representing the world’s national shipowner associations and over 80 % of the world merchant fleet.
The collective voice for the UK's maritime industries. We champion and work to enable a thriving maritime sector.
Associated British Ports, the UK’s leading and best-connected ports group and we are Keeping Britain Trading. A network of 21 ports handles around one quarter of the UK’s seaborne trade, and over £150 billion of UK trade annually.
Lloyd's List is one of the world's oldest continuously running journals, having provided weekly shipping news in London as early as 1734.
Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP) is one of Scandinavia’s largest port operators, and a full-service port in the Oresund region. We receive a vast variety of goods and have an infrastructure customised for all types of vessels.
Preston Turnbull is a London based law firm with over 100 years of collective experience in our core sectors of shipping, international trade, marine insurance, yacht/ship building and commercial litigation/ADR.
The Nautical Institute is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with consultative status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Our aim is to promote professionalism, best practice and safety throughout the maritime industry and to represent the interests of our members.
Nautilus International is a trade union and professional organisation serving, supporting and protecting the interests of more than 20,000 maritime professionals in the UK, Netherlands and Switzerland.
The international non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to develop and improve maritime search and rescue (SAR) capacity worldwide.
The IMRF brings together the world's maritime SAR organisations and has both voluntary and governmental organisations as members. As well as capacity building, the IMRF also has an advocacy role, providing an international voice for its members.
It is the only maritime SAR NGO with consultative status at the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The Seafarers Hospital Society is a maritime charity dedicated to meeting the health, welfare and advice needs of seafarers of any nationality based in the United Kingdom.
The Seafarers’ Charity vision is to create ‘a world where seafarers and their families are valued and free of need and disadvantage’.
Professional development for those above and below the waterline. IMarEST is the international professional body and learned society for all marine professionals.
RNLI crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,900 lives since 1824 but we’re more than a rescue service. We influence, supervise and educate people too. Our Community Safety teams explain the risks and share safety knowledge with anyone going out to sea or to the coast. And our international teams work with like-minded organisations to help tackle drowning in communities at risk all around the world.
The University, as a global centre of excellence recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the United Nations General Assembly, plays a significant role in maritime and ocean education, research, capacity-building and economic development while promoting the roles of women in the maritime and ocean sectors.
The Marine and Maritime Institute capitalises on Hull’s unique combination of physical location, maritime history and marine resource.
Warsash Maritime School is the only maritime training centre of its kind in the world. We offer over 150 accredited deck, engineering, interior, maritime and offshore safety training courses, approved by the MCA, MNTB, OPITO, SIGTTO, SQA, and other awarding bodies.
Royal Museums Greenwich comprises the Royal Observatory, Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House. We are also home to The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre and the Caird Library and Archive. Together we’re dedicated to enriching people’s understanding of the sea, the exploration of space, and Britain's role in world history.
The museum has one of the oldest and largest museum harbours of the Netherlands, where you can visit historical vessels and cranes and experience how the world's leading port of Rotterdam began.
National Museums Liverpool started way back in 1851 when the 13th Earl of Derby donated his enormous natural history collection to the town of Liverpool. Now it has one of the largest collections of museums and galleries in the UK.
Aberdeen Maritime Museum tells the story of the city’s long and often dramatic relationship with the sea, from the earliest days of trading, fishing and shipbuilding, to the discovery of North Sea oil and gas, and Aberdeen’s place today as a leader in global energy transition.
England’s coastal and marine heritage tells a story of our nation’s history of commerce, conflict and leisure. It contributes strongly to our identity and quality of life today. Our ports and a host of colourful seaside resorts remain vital for our economy, well-being and enjoyment.
The Maritime Archaeology Trust was established to study and manage the underwater cultural heritage and disseminate the results. The organisation was set up over thirty years ago to develop a strategic approach to the sustainable management of the maritime archaeological resource in the UK and internationally.
The BCMH was established as the British branch of the International Commission for Maritime History (ICMH), which was founded in 1965 as a constituent of the International Congress of Historical Sciences, a body affiliated to UNESCO. BCMH is a charitable trust. Its Trustees are drawn from UK museums, universities and other maritime-related organisations. Several of its members are involved in the Rewriting women into maritime project.
Sailors Jess Clay and Hannah Hurford chat about traditional sailing - from diving into the history and stories of the vessels themselves, to exploring themes which are a part of the industry today.
The Off Watch Podcast, has partnered with SHE_SEES to collaborate on interviewing current women in the maritime sector. The podcast explores all things traditional sailing and the wider positive and negative attributes that comes with working in the maritime sector.
Related Content
Theme 4: Equity & Transparency – Forgotten Voices and Hidden Figures
Uncovering overlooked stories to build a more inclusive narrative that fosters trust and fairness across global maritime history.
Belinda Joslin: Women in Boatbuilding
The career of Belinda Joslin, as part of the wider SHE_SEES component of the Rewriting Women into Maritime History exhibition.
Making Waves: Stories of women at sea
Meet the women featured in the RMG Making Waves campaign as part of the Rewriting Women into Maritime History initiative.