Accra, June 26, GNA - The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) has acknowledged seafarers as it joins the rest of the world to commemorate this year’s Day of the Seafarer (DotS) with a renewed commitment to increase the number of women in the industry.
The International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO’s) thematic phrase for this year’s DotS is “I am on board with Gender Equality,” which seeks to increase the participation of women in the industry towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Goal five, which focuses on women empowerment.
At a press briefing to mark the day, Mr Thomas Kofi Alonsi, the Director-General of GMA commended Seafarers, describing them as gallant especially for bracing the global water to move trade and development to all nation of the world.
Mr Alonsi commended both past and present, young and old women Seafarers in the country for the sacrifices they continuously made towards ensuring that they delivered on their abilities especially women “on board”.
He said the IMO’s thematic phrase and the World Maritime Day theme: “Empowering Women In the Maritime Community” had been strategically selected to lay emphasis on the recognition of the invaluable contributions made by women Seafarer’s and women in the industry.
He said Ghana could boast of 19 women Seafarers in various positions notable among them were Captain Beatrice Vormawor (Rtd) with Captain Hannah Aggrey and Captain Catherine Hazel, who are currently lecturing at the Regional Maritime University.
He said the DotS was a day set aside by the International Maritime Authority with the objective of recognising the unique contributions made by seafarers from all over the world to international seaborne trade, the world economy and societal development.
Mr Alonsi said globally, there were about 80,000 merchant ships crewed by 1.5 million seafarers of different nationalities, crisscrossing the world’s oceans, adding that more than 90 per cent depended on these gallant men and women.
He said that “Without shipping, half of the planet would starve and the other half would freeze. It is seafarers who make shipping happen by operating ships”.
The Director General said seafarers work around the clock in extremely dangerous conditions to bring basic necessities and life’s luxuries to the rest of the citizenry and hence the need to celebrate in special ways.
He said the GMA was part of the institutions that constantly made contributions towards the running of the Regional Maritime University situated in Ghana and would continue to do that in an effort to encourage more girls and young women from Ghana to take courses in the University to become players in the industry.
GNA
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS