Lively debate and discussion as seafarer sustainability and equality come under the spotlight

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This page was published on 27/05/2025

Woman leading session in conference venue

Panellists join Lloyd's Register Foundation event

The deep dive report into seafarer sustainability written by the World Maritime University (WMU) and funded by Lloyd's Register Foundation was discussed and debated at a special session as part of a conference looking at diversity and equality. WMU hosted an international conference titled "Advancing the Blue Economy Through Gender Equality" from May 19–21, 2025, in Malmö, Sweden which brought together maritime experts from across the world.

Five panellists from across the maritime sector joined a session led by Lloyd's Register Foundation to explore with the audience the barriers to that equality and how to make maritime truly for all.

Deep dive on seafarer sustainability

Read the full report here

Professor Momoko Kitada Nippon Foundation Professorial Chair in gender and innovation; Head of Maritime Education and Training, World Maritime University

We need to ask ourselves: What measures can we put in place? What can we do differently? The answers are there, but only if we act.

Woman speaking at session with microphone

Overview and thoughts of the panel

As the session opened, the scene was set for a lively discussion between the panel and the audience. Professor Momoko Kitada, who is the Nippon Foundation Professorial Chair in gender and innovation as well as Head of Maritime Education and Training at WMU, presented a short overview of the seafarer sustainability report along with her colleague Dr Renis Ojwala, Research Associate.

The stage was then set to bring in three further panellists: Captain Londy Ngcobo (CEO of Womaritime Experts and the founder of Global Maritime Youth), Sibu Rantsoabe, (manager, OHS and Maritime Welfare, South African Maritime Safety Authority) and Dr Tim Slingsby (Director of Skills and Education, Lloyd's Register Foundation). They each brought their own perspectives to the topic of gender diversity and seafarer sustainability from how barriers might be overcome, to what safeguards there need to be for the welfare and well-being of those joining the industry.

It was also a session with audience involvement. A question posed to the audience around diversity brought this response - everyone had three minutes to give their thoughts. The bigger the word in the cloud, the more people had put it forward as their response.

Some of the words including 'happiness' were explored with the audience and the panel as the discussion continued around diversity and what it brings to the workplace.

Word cloud showing the poll of the audience

Captain Londy Ngcobo CEO of Womaritime Experts and the founder of Global Maritime Youth

I’ve learned not to wait for someone else to tell me what I can or can’t do. Instead, I challenge what’s possible, I test new ideas, and I build communities around the things I care about. And it’s worked. Maritime needs everyone and that includes you.

As the discussions came to a close, the conclusion that maritime industry must evolve, creating an environment where everyone belongs. Whether at sea or on land, maritime needs thinkers, innovators, and changemakers. Industry stakeholders must work together to remove barriers, support emerging talent, and incubate new business ventures—especially those founded by women and underrepresented groups.

A final question led to more thought-provoking discussion around the room. The audience was asked to think about one word or phrase which would describe a change they would like to make to improve equality in maritime. Unsurprisingly the word that captured most attention was 'education' and 'awareness' but other phrases including 'highlighting the benefits' 'compassion' and 'embracing the differences' also appeared. The room agreed there was a lot to be done but the will to do it is definitely there.