The program called "She and the Sea" at the Porto Montenegro Maritime Heritage Collection in Tivat, organized by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, marked the International Day of Women in Maritime Affairs, May 18, for the first time in Montenegro, on Saturday evening.
The day, as announced by the organizers, is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of women in the maritime industry, and aims to encourage the employment, retention and professional development of women in the maritime sector, increase their visibility, and strengthen the commitment of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 - gender equality.
The first celebration of International Women in Maritime Affairs Day, held in Montenegro, was attended by numerous representatives of the maritime industry, administration, maritime schools and faculties, as well as other companies and institutions that cooperate with the maritime industry and seafarers in general.
This was an opportunity to introduce the general public to the fact that maritime affairs, although it has the image of a primarily male profession, is an area in which an increasing number of women participate in various roles - from crew members and commanders of various merchant and warships, to maritime logistics, administration, education and various supporting activities.
Among them is certainly the most famous and media-exposed lady in command of cruise ships in the world – long-haul captain Kate McCue.
This 46-year-old American woman, originally from San Francisco, married to a man from Dubrovnik, is not only a very capable sailor, but thanks to her talent for media appearances, she has also become an extremely important promoter of gender equality when it comes to managing the largest and most modern cruise ships in the world.
Before working for Celebrity Cruises, for which she currently sails and which entrusts her with command of some of its largest and most modern ships, she sailed as an officer and deputy commander on cruise ships for Disney Cruises and Royal Caribbean.
Captain Kate McCue has also become a kind of global celebrity, with over 3,5 million people following her social media channels, where she regularly presents details from the life and work of a megacruiser captain.
Those gathered at the celebration of International Women in Maritime Affairs Day in Tivat, including the Mayor of Tivat Željko Komnenović and the Ambassador of Turkey to Montenegro Bariš Kalkavan, were greeted by the Minister of Maritime Affairs Filip Radulović.
He congratulated all the ladies who are represented in various ways in the "blue economy" of Montenegro, as well as all other women in the world's maritime industry, of which, according to the latest data, there are around 170.000 in the world.
"Today we celebrate their courage, but also their work, which is proof that the sea knows no prejudices, but rather values knowledge, skills and dedication. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs remains committed to creating an equal environment where every woman will feel valued, supported and motivated to go further, higher and stronger. Let this ceremony be a message to everyone that the future of our maritime industry is being shaped equally by women and men, side by side, on the same horizon," Radulović emphasized.
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International Women's Day at Sea was established in 2021, and with this gesture, the IMO responded to the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda, which sets gender equality as one of its strategic goals, which has traditionally been lacking in the maritime sector.
According to IMO data, the share of women in the global maritime economy is less than two percent, and the goal of marking International Women at Sea Day is not only to honor the success of women, but also to advocate for equal opportunities and realizing the full potential that every workplace offers.
The goal is to draw attention and raise awareness about the challenges women face, discrimination, different criteria and limitations regarding opportunities for business success in the maritime industry.
The attendees were addressed by Olivera Stojanović, an independent advisor at the Directorate for Maritime Economy, Seafarers and Harmonization of Regulations at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, who spoke about her decades-long professional career in maritime affairs, where she began at the former "Plovput" from Bar, which was engaged in the maintenance of lighthouses and waterways, and the Coastal Radio Station "Barradio".
"My presence and the presence of all the women who have decided to enter the maritime world shows that tradition is not an obstacle, but that women are continuing tradition in a new way. With my example, I want to send a clear message to women who love the sea and who have a feeling and connection with it: If you have a passion for challenges, a desire to travel and a willingness to push your own boundaries, know that the sea is waiting for you too," Stojanović emphasized.
Video messages were sent to those gathered at the celebration in Tivat by IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, maritime entrepreneur Miriam Camilleri from Malta, and Professor Emeritus of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, a world-renowned expert in maritime law, Dr. Časlav Pejović from Japan.
The author of the project "She and the Sea", Maša Štampić, a Master of Laws in International Maritime Legislation who works in the bodies of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, spoke with her guests on the topic "Women in Maritime Affairs".
Her interlocutors were: Aleksandra Bujković, maritime law lawyer, partner at KPB legal; Sanja Knez, representative of the Boka Navy Kotor, Manager Assistant, certified trainer, Marina Pejović Country Manager and CEO of the maritime agency Acquera Yachting for Montenegro, Aleksandra Janičić, Secretary General of the Montenegrin Sailing Association, Sanja Božović, CEO of Montenegro charter and Sanlorenzo Adria, and Suzana Filipović Customer Service Manager of the MSC agency.
Short videos were also shown to introduce the attendees to the earlier achievements at sea of two world-famous ladies: the Frenchwoman Jeanne Barre, who, hiding her true identity and posing as a man, became the first woman to circumnavigate the world as a member of a French scientific expedition in the mid-18th century, and the British woman - a nurse and stewardess on the passenger liner "Violet Jessop", who survived the disasters of all three famous transatlantic liners from the "Olympic" class on which she sailed, including probably the most famous of all ships in the world - the ill-fated "Titanic".
Women are very represented in the maritime sector in Montenegro, where they make up a large part of the employees in the state maritime administration, teach at maritime schools and universities, manage some of the maritime agencies, or are at the head of various companies that provide services in the field of commercial shipping and yachting.
The Faculty of Maritime Studies in Kotor is also headed by a woman - Dean Prof. Dr. Tatjana Dlabač, many ladies from Montenegro sail primarily as so-called white personnel on cruisers and large yachts, while a lady - Lieutenant of the frigate Sara Rakočević, a few years ago became the first woman - commander of a warship in Montenegro because she was entrusted with the command of the offshore tugboat of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Montenegro, the ship PR-41 "Orada".
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