Sometimes the day of the book is proclaimed, sometimes the day against homophobia.

This May 18 is Women in Maritime Day for the very first time.

That's what the IMO, the International Maritime Organization, a sub-organization of the United Nations, decided last year.

And so the role of women on the high seas is now being targeted.

The day is intended to reinforce efforts to reduce gender imbalance in shipping, according to the official statement.

Susanne Preuss

Business correspondent in Hamburg.

  • Follow I follow

Imbalance sounds almost harmless when you look at the numbers.

Only 1.2 percent of the 1.9 million seafarers internationally are women.

This can be read in the BIMCO/ICS Seafarer Workforce Report.

And that's a 45 percent increase over the 2015 report.

"Women can do everything that men can do"

Compared to that, Germany is way ahead of the rest of the world.

Around 400 women work on board the German merchant fleet.

That corresponds to around 6 percent of the current 6,900 employees subject to social security contributions in this area.

There have also been organized seawomen in this country for a long time, and the first conference entitled "Ladies in Shipping" took place in Hamburg as early as 1981.

The fact that women suddenly come into focus on the high seas is not least due to the fact that shipping has a problem with young people.

The industry therefore also sees young women as a potential target group for recruiting new workers at sea.

“I am deeply convinced that women can do everything that men can do – that of course includes technical professions,” was a sentence from the commemorative speech on this first day for women in shipping.

You don't have to think of a Sunday speech, but rather of conviction, because the speaker knows what she's talking about.

It's Gaby Bornheim.

She herself is the head of a large German shipping company, and since December she has been President of the Association of German Shipowners (VDR) – the first woman in the 115-year history of the industry association.

Bornheim expressly thanks all women who are already serving as part of a ship's crew: "You are pioneers.

You have my great respect.”