This March, Seaspan is thrilled to be celebrating International Women’s Day — a moment to recognize the accomplishments of women across the entire workforce and the wider marine industry. Whether in the shipyards, out on the vessels, or anything in between, the incredible work done at Seaspan would not be possible without the invaluable contributions of the hundreds of women who fill integral roles on their team.
Yet, part of recognizing International Women’s Day is also about acknowledging the inherent gender inequalities present in our day-to-day society. As a company, Seaspan is committed to proactively seeking out where systematic barriers and injustice might be present, in order to remove those barriers and create a more inclusive and welcoming workplace.
One of the areas where Seaspan has worked to improve inclusivity is in their marine operations. The industry as a whole is one that has been male-dominated. Currently, women make up less than one percent of the tugboat and barge labour pool, while also constituting less than eight percent of the onboard crews in marine fleets worldwide.
Much of this is because many of the spaces in the industry were not built with women in mind. Tugboats often consist of cabins with small bunks and shared washrooms, amidst overall tight quarters. Combined with the fact that, as a woman on a tugboat crew, that woman is likely to be surrounded by only men — the lack of privacy doesn’t make for the most welcoming environment.
That is why Seaspan is changing the way they design these facilities — transforming them to be inclusive of all genders through added privacy and comfort. When the organization had the opportunity to design a new fleet of tugboats from the ground up — in partnership with the Haisla Nation for HaiSea Marine — they ensured these systemic barriers were removed, adding single-enclosed bathrooms and changing rooms.
While it is one thing to make the environment more inclusive, it is another step to make the culture more inclusive. That is why Seaspan Marine hosts their annual “Women in Marine” event, where not only do young women get the chance to tour the facility and try out the state-of-the-art tugboat simulator, but they also get to hear from a panel of female leaders in the industry.
With 43 percent of Canada’s marine workforce set to retire in the next decade, Seaspan is going to need people to step up and fill those roles. By making those positions more welcoming to everyone, they hope that any women interested in the marine industry will know that there is a place for them.
The team at Seaspan knows that gender equality won’t just happen by sitting idly by and waiting for it to happen. The theme of International Women’s Day this year is “Accelerating Action” — the idea that proactive measures need to be taken to push inclusivity forward. By empowering women to join the marine industry and removing the barriers that have impeded their comfort in those spaces, Seaspan is striving to do their part for that cause.
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