The employment of women on cargo ships, particularly at officer’s level, is paid more attention in order to supplement the shortage of qualified officers. However, seafaring jobs are still overwhelmingly dominated by men, and there seems to be gender-related challenges for women in such work environment. Women seafarers in this research are those who work in the ship operational sections on cargo ships as deck officers, engineers or radio officers. A total of 36 female and 8 male seafarers from eight different countries participated in the project and shared their experiences of working on board ships. The research revealed that the occupational culture of seafaring often reflects masculine norms and values which could affect women seafarers’ behaviour and attitudes. This paper further explores how women manage such situations on board by utilising various strategies in order to avoid gender-related problems. This study identifies a typical pattern of women seafarers’ identity management and creates a model of women’s strategic shifting patterns over time.

This chapter examines the barriers to the employment of women seafarers and identifies problems in the current attempts at addressing the gender imbalance in the maritime industry. Three impediments to female employment will be discussed in the context of modern shipping: occupational cultural barriers; lack of awareness and knowledge about women at sea; and the slow development of effective policies and strategies aimed at recruiting and retaining women seafarers. It draws the conclusion that the employment of women seafarers should be more focused and that the engagement of employers, including shipping companies and crewing agencies, is necessary to improve the situation of women seafarers.

Changes in weather patterns are now recorded more and more frequently in various locations of the Earth. Collective action is needed to deal with the challenges of climate change; the maritime industry must contribute its fair share to those activities, aiming to mitigate a risk that can threaten humanity’s own existence. On the positive side, both the European Union (EU) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have clear ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships that are linked to climate change, and two similar albeit separate regimes have been introduced. EU’s monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) regulation of CO₂ emissions has already been influencing shipping activities, since the related data collection has started on the 1st of January 2018. The second initiative is the IMO’s data collection system (DCS), which revolves primarily around fuel consumption; the necessary data collection started on the 1st of January 2019. To support an effective environmental performance management framework for the maritime industry, it is necessary to create a robust database that describes all aspects of energy efficient ship operations, with an emphasis on the inventory of CO₂ emitted from ships. The analysis at hand examines the challenges in the relevant data collection scheme, with a particular focus on MRV, considering that the specific regulation is already operationalized. An online survey was conducted among maritime professionals in Singapore and Bangladesh to examine the gap between current energy-related regulations/policies and standing operational practices. The findings address the issues relating to shipping operations and certain compliance, institutional and management matters. They also identify the industry’s preparedness for this new policy framework of environmental performance management as well as the impact on existing energy efficiency practices. A very important conclusion derived is that the quality of data collected is crucial for the effective management of emissions related to shipping and the associated fuel consumption.

Purpose: Workplace bullying has severe negative consequences for the well-being of targeted employees. Previous research suggests that social support may buffer against such adverse effects. However, it remains unclear if different forms of support have equally strong effects and if support buffers equally effectively against different outcomes. Further, little is known about social support as a mitigating factor in remote occupational groups such as seafarers. This study examines the buffering effects of four forms of support (instrumental and emotional peer support, company support, non-work support) on three aspects of employee well-being (depression, anxiety, and exhaustion) among seafarers.Methods: Responses to a cross-sectional online survey from a convenience sample of 414 seafarers on international commercial vessels were analyzed using moderated regression analyses with PROCESS.Results: Exposure to workplace bullying behavior increased seafarers’ depression, anxiety and exhaustion. Instrumental peer support and non-work support buffered the negative impact of bullying on depression. The impact of bullying on exhaustion was buffered by company support. The impact of bullying on anxiety was not buffered by any of the four forms of support.Conclusion: Extending previous research, the findings suggest that the interaction between workplace bullying and support depends not only on the source of support, but also on the type of support and the outcome considered. While support from colleagues on board was important for seafarers, company and non-work support must not be overlooked. Interventions should, therefore, encourage the development of peer support and ensure access to shore-based support for workers in remote locations.