Mitsui OSK Lines has appointed its first female captain in a move which also ranks as pioneering for all Japanese oceangoing shipping companies.
MOL named Naomi Matsushita as the captain of the 6,706-car pure car carrier Beluga Ace (built 2018) as of 6 June.
Matsushita has honed her seafaring experience onboard car carriers and container ships.
She also worked in other areas for the company including ship management and support for various business divisions.
Matsushita said she first had the ambition to work at sea when she had the opportunity to go onboard a ship at junior high school. She said she was inspired by the crew.
“I thought it was amazing that people could work and live in the same place onboard a ship, cross the oceans and travel the world. I imagined that I too could expand my own world,” she told MOL’s Youtube channel.
Matsushita has worked both at sea and on land for MOL, while bringing up a family. She said that she is grateful for the support of people around her, but said she had made no special arrangements for her children while she is away at sea.
“I often talk to my children about ships so at least they understand a little about my workplace,” she said.
Talking about the experience of working at sea she said: “You are surrounded by the sea and sky so you can feel both the richness and sometimes the severity of nature.”
“It is a job which cannot be done without teamwork and helping each other out,” she said talking about her role.
“Working with people that have the same goal to safely deliver the cargo they have been entrusted with gives us a sense of achievement and that is an attraction of the job,” she said.
Matsushita said she fully understood the responsibility of the position of captain and said she would strive to achieve the continuous safe operation of ships in the future.
“This is the first time for a Japanese oceangoing shipping company that a female seafarer actually serves as a captain,” MOL said.
The Japanese owner said it positions the “promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I)”, including the promotion of more active roles for women, as a “driving forces for new growth”.
The company said DE&I is one of the basic principles of its MOL Group Human Capital Vision.
MOL has been named on the list of the “Nadeshiko Brands” which encourage women’s success in workplace for three consecutive years.
The company said: “MOL Group will continue to embrace a diverse group of people, create a work environment and provide career support so that each individual can shine and play an active role.”
