Women at sea need better access to sanitary products and facilities to dispose of them on board.
Seafarers advocates said feminine hygiene products are often not treated as an essential item in ships’ stores, because women make up such a small percentage of the seafaring population.
Debbie Cavaldoro, head of strategy and policy at seafarers union Nautilus International, said women often have to carry their own feminine hygiene products when joining a ship.
