BMA Observes Women in Maritime Day with Panel Event

In celebration of International Day for Women in Maritime 2024, The Bahamas Maritime Authority recently hosted a panel discussion under the theme, ‘Safe Horizons: Women Shaping the Future of Maritime Safety.’ The event featured three leading Bahamian females in maritime from logistics, maritime services and a port department and brought together a cross-section of attendees for a robust conversation around the role of women in advancing the topic of maritime safety and increasing the profile of women in maritime, both in The Bahamas and globally.

The panellists at the event, which was linked to the IMO International Day for Women in Maritime, observed annually on May 18, spoke passionately about the role of women in maritime safety and about balancing the gender gap in the industry. Glennett Fowler, President and CEO of Heroic Group, Capt Sandy Campbell, Marine Manager at Ship Mate, and Lonna Bethel, Assistant Port Controller, Port Department of The Bahamas, emphasised the need to break down the barriers that are holding women back, for the overall betterment of the sector, both today and into the future.

The conversation also focused on the challenges faced by women in the maritime sector and the need for broader consultation in seeking solutions to achieving a barrier-free working environment for women in the maritime sector.

Representing just a few of the maritime careers on offer, our panellists demonstrated that women can be highly successful with satisfying and rewarding professional lives, giving attendees of the panel first-hand examples of what women can achieve. The audience included students and cadets from The Bahamas Maritime Cadet Corps, LJM Maritime Academy, the University of The Bahamas, and officers from The Royal Bahamas Defence Force. The BMA would like to extend our thanks to our speakers and participants for their engagement on this vital topic.