Of the 1.6 million employees in the maritime industry, only 1.2% of that are women. With so few women in the industry, it makes it almost impossible for them to be seen or heard. And without representations of themselves here, very few young women realise that they have a place at sea.

We often hear from men who work in maritime, but due to there being a very small percentage of women in maritime, we never get to hear their side of the story.

On the inaugural International Day of Women in Maritime, MISC made sure the voices of female seafarers were heard. Women in the industry from around the world spoke about their beginnings, the hardships they faced, and the gratification they experienced despite being the minority in the industry.