a group of ladies in cruise liverpool blue uniform cheering in front of a ship

Maritime UK launches Global Women in Maritime Series

Maritime UK is joining the global maritime sector to celebrate the inaugural International Day for Women in Maritime. The theme is ‘Training-Visibility-Recognition: Supporting a barrier-free working environment’.

The day celebrates women in the industry. It is intended to promote the recruitment, retention and sustained employment of women in the maritime sector, raise the profile of women in maritime, strengthen International Maritime Organisation’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (gender equality) and support work to address the current gender imbalance in maritime.

To celebrate International Day for Women in Maritime, Maritime UK is launching the brand-new Global Women in Maritime Series. The launch event, ‘What is an Ally?’ is being held in partnership with Women in Maritime Australia and features a raft of speakers from both sides of the world. This series will open up a global dialogue, which will share best practices, lessons learned and their unique experiences from being Women in Maritime on either side of the world.

Over the past few years, the sector has seen progress which has resulted in the International Women in Maritime Day being internationally recognised by the International Maritime Organisation.

In 2018, Maritime UK established the Women in Maritime programme to address gender fairness, equality and inclusion within the maritime sector. A Taskforce was created to bring together leaders from across the maritime sector to identify practical steps to increase the number of women in maritime, and crucially within senior roles across its shipping, ports, marine and business services industries.

In 2019, the Minister for Transport released the Maritime 2050 People Route Map which celebrated the work of Women in Maritime and called for Maritime UK to expand on these foundations to develop Diversity in Maritime, which celebrated 2 years since being launched on 6 May.

The creation of the International Day for Women in Maritime shows a recognition of the role that women play in the sector and the progress that has been made since the Women in Maritime Network was first established.

On International Women’s Day 2022, the Women in Maritime Network launched the Menopause Hub, a free online resource, which has been designed to share good practice, polices, case studies and self-care guidance to assist employees experiencing menopause and employers supporting employees going through the menopause.

Get Involved

The Women in Maritime Network, part of the Diversity in Maritime programme, holds regular meetings throughout the year, the next is scheduled for Thursday 22 September. If organisations, women working in the maritime sector and allies wish to get involved they can do so here.

For organisations that want to break the bias, they can sign the Women in Maritime Pledge. Signatories to the pledge will be making clear their support for creating positive change within their respective organisations, and collectively, across the UK maritime sector.  If you wish to be recorded as a signatory to the pledge, please sign the pledge.

The Diversity in Maritime Programme is sponsored by Stena Line and Port of Aberdeen.

Robert Courts, Minister for Maritime said:

“Women have made and continue to make an invaluable contribution to the global maritime sector. It is critical that we recognise and celebrate their achievements on this inaugural day.

“We want the sector to be open to everyone, and we want to put the policies in place to support and promote women to work and progress in the industry. I am delighted to see the global cross collaboration between Women in Maritime Australia and Maritime UK to share experiences and best practice.

“Looking ahead I am and excited to see what the maritime industry can do to promote diversity and help women achieve their potential.”

Chrissie Clarke, Head of Diversity and Operations, Maritime UK said:

“Maritime UK is delighted to launching our new Global Women in Maritime series with Women in Maritime Australia today to shine a light on gender equality across the globe. Making progress on diversity and inclusion is a global challenge, and as a global sector, we are really looking forward to seeing how we can make quicker progress together.”

Sue Terpilowski, Co-Chair, Diversity in Maritime Taskforce/Chair, Women in Maritime Network said:

“Women’s equality cannot wait. We are delighted to collaborate with the IMO to ‘support a barrier-free working environment’ and look forward to a continued dialogue with Women in Maritime Australia.”

Borealis in Bodø, Norway against a pink and pale blue sky

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines unveils brand new programme of sailing from Liverpool for summer 2023

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has today unveiled a brand new programme of cruising from Liverpool for summer 2023, offering a host of scenic sailings, cultural discoveries and calls that coincide with special events ashore.

The new sailings feature the chance to cruise the scenic Prins Christiansund and explore the lesser-known port of Narsarsuaq in Greenland; witness the Midnight Sun in sailings to Arctic Norway and Spitsbergen; and sail the Amalfi Coast at sunrise and sunset.

Guests will be able to take advantage of up to £250 per person to spend on board, or up to £500 per person when booking a suite. In addition, on selected July and August 2023 cruises, there is the option to add a third guest from £199 when sharing with two others, plus a number of no single supplement offers for solo travellers too.

The new programme offers 12 brand new sailings departing from Liverpool between June and October 2023.

Members of Fred. Olsen’s Oceans loyalty scheme can take advantage of an exclusive early booking period from today, ahead of the new itineraries going on general sale on Friday (18th March) at 9am.

Martin Lister, Head of Itinerary Planning and Destination Experience at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“Our new summer programme really showcases what makes us special, and we have hand-crafted each cruise to really celebrate our smaller ships and the opportunities they allow us to offer our guests.

“So much has been curated around the best time to visit, whether that’s to witness a destination at its seasonal best, or to coincide with a special event ashore. In October, for example, Borealis will venture to Canada in time for guests to witness the spectacular autumnal foliage.

“We enjoyed a successful first season of sailing from Liverpool in 2021, and it will be great to have Borealis based from the city again next summer.”

Highlights of Fred. Olsen’s new Summer 2023 programme from Liverpool include:

Borealis’ 25-night S2309 ‘Renaissance Italy, the Adriatic and Amalfi Coast’ cruise, departing from Liverpool on 22nd May 2023. Prices start from £3,999 per person, with £250 per person to spend on board.

Itinerary: Liverpool, England – Cartagena, Spain – Livorno, Italy – Civitavecchia (for Rome), Italy – Sorrento, Italy – Cruising Amalfi Coast and Capri, Italy – Amalfi, Italy – Cruising Strait of Messina, Italy – Venice, Italy – Zadar, Croatia – Split, Croatia – Cruising Bay of Kotor, Montenegro – Kotor, Montenegro – Dubrovnik, Croatia – Valletta, Malta – Malaga, Spain – Liverpool, England

For more details: Visit S2309 ‘Renaissance Italy, the Adriatic and Amalfi Coast’

Borealis’ 15-night S2312 ‘Exploring Northern Norway – the Land of the Midnight Sun’ cruise, departing from Liverpool on 4th July 2023. Prices start from £2,499 per person, with £200 per person to spend on board.

Itinerary: Liverpool, England – Kristiansund, Norway – Cruising by Torghatten (Hat Mountain), Norway – Cruising by Seven Sisters Mountain Range, Norway – Crossing Arctic Circle, Norway – Tromsø, Norway – Alta, Norway – Honningsvåg, Norway – Cruising by North Cape and The Horn, Norway – Cruising by Devils Jaw, Norway – Bodø, Norway – Olden, Norway – Cruising by Hornelen at sunset – Cruising Nordfjord and Innvikfjord – Kirkwall, Orkney – Liverpool, England

For more details: Visit S2312 ‘Exploring Northern Norway – the Land of the Midnight Sun’

Borealis’ 14-night S2315 ‘Exploring Rugged and Remote Greenland and Iceland’ cruise, departing from Liverpool on 4th August 2023. Prices start from £2,599 per person, with £200 per person to spend on board.

Itinerary: Liverpool, England – Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland – Reykjavík, Iceland – Ísafjörður, Iceland – Cruising Prins Christiansund, Greenland – Qaqortoq, Greenland – Narsarsuaq, Greenland – Nanortalik, Greenland – Liverpool, England

For more details: Visit S2315 ‘Exploring Rugged and Remote Greenland and Iceland’   

The summer programme comes ahead of the launch of Fred. Olsen’s full 2023/24 brochure, which is set to be released by the small-ship operator in late April 2022.

For more information on Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ two new cruises, visit fredolsencruises.com/just-released. Book online, call our Reservations team on 0800 0355 242 (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm), or contact your ABTA travel agent.