Shipping Corp of India (SCI) has claimed a world first by crewing a tanker with an all-female officer team.
Mansukh Mandaviya, the country's minister for ports, shipping and waterways, tweeted a photo of the officers on board the 74,000-dwt product carrier Swarna Krishna (built 2010) to mark International Women's Day on Monday.
The minister acknowledged the contribution and sacrifice of the women seafarers who have acted as India's ambassadors to the global maritime community and had made the nation proud.
"The Shipping Corporation of India, as a part of its ongoing Diamond Jubilee celebrations and also to commemorate the International Women’s Day...achieved another feat when Mansukh Mandaviya...virtually flagged off Swarna Krishna from JNPT liquid berth jetty," the ministry said in a statement.
Harjeet Kaur Joshi, SCI's managing director, said the shipowner would be relentless in pursuit of a "paradigm shift" in the maritime sector, which has recognised and honoured the "empowered womanhood" in seafaring women who have dared, endeavoured and sacrificed to achieve it.
Shipping secretary Sanjeev Ranjan, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) chairman Sanjay Sethi, Mumbai Port Trust chairman Rajiv Jalota and director general of shipping Amitabh Kumar attended the ceremony virtually and commended the efforts of the female officers.
Shifting perceptions
The ministry believes the officers demonstrate a gradual shift in the perception of seafaring as a male-oriented profession and the principles of diversity and inclusion that SCI upholds.
"SCI has been a pioneer in employing women seafarers on board its vessels and has implemented various initiatives including age relaxations and fee concessions to aspiring female cadets through its Maritime Training Institute to promote their integration into the maritime sector," the ministry added.
