Two female master mariners spoke passionately about their experiences, life learnings and the need to talk more about the maritime industry at a Wista UK event.
Held on 25 June — the Day of the Seafarer — TradeWinds played host on a blazing hot Tuesday evening in London as Wista UK continued its 50th-anniversary celebrations.
Speaking at the event, BP Global Oil head of trading Susan Thomson said working with people is why she loved being at sea.
She said that the oil and gas sector has just 0.8% of female representation and that dial has not moved in the 25 years she has been in the industry.
Thomson said what matters is being open about that and supporting the initiatives that encourage more females to see that career option.
“I went to sea because I stumbled upon it,” she said, stressing the need to make people aware of trading, shipping and the maritime sector and how their goods arrive by sea.
She challenged her audience to talk more about “what a fantastic industry maritime is” and inspired the younger generation to come through.
HFW partner and master mariner Claire Womersley, who studied alongside Thomson and is also celebrating her 25th anniversary in the maritime industry, said she went to sea as a “very naive 19-year-old” on a passenger ship sailing down the west coast of Africa.
Womersley said it was a “huge culture shock” working on a bridge and among seafarers who were “very male-focused”.
She described being on a ship as like “being in captivity” and said the mental strain on seafarers and their families over the years has got worse with seafarers taking many risks and being underpaid for what they do.
But she said the experience toughened her up as a litigator and gave her the valuable experience of working with many nationalities.
Womersley — with a suitable pause for effect on the TW reference — concluded with a favourite Mark Twain quote: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover.”
Wista UK president Monica Kohli reminded that Wista UK is working with the Maritime Educational Foundation to train five women as merchant navy cadets.
Kohli, who said she hopes there is no need for a Wista in five decades, gave a shout-out to Wista International president Elpi Petraki, who had joined the reception, for her outstanding efforts in raising the organisation’s profile.
Welcoming Wista UK to its office, TradeWinds editor-in-chief Julian Bray said the publication has been covering Wista for over 30 years.
“Wista and women in shipping have come a long way in the last 50 years,” he said, raising a toast to “progress in the next 50”.
