The Baltic Exchange has signed up to the Women in Maritime Charter which was launched this week in London. The initiative is designed to address the lack of gender diversity in the UK maritime sector by creating a framework to challenge companies to make progress on diversity. The charter is supported by a suite of resources to help companies realise those targets.

A key pledge of the Charter is: 

“We are committed to building an employment culture that actively supports and celebrates gender diversity, at all levels, throughout our organisation, and our industry.”

So far there are 65 signatories to the Charter including the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, BP Shipping, DP World and CMA CGM.

Sue Terpilowski, chair of the task force, said: “We’ve been focused on making sure that the Charter we deliver is relevant to companies across the length and breadth of the maritime sector – both in size and function.

“We think we’ve struck the right balance between realism and challenge, with the appropriate plan in place to support companies to excel on gender diversity.”

Nusrat Ghani MP, Maritime Minister, said: “Our maritime sector keeps Britain thriving, but it’s missing out on a wealth of talent. No industry is a closed shop and there are simply too few women working in rewarding maritime careers, both at sea and on shore.”

She added: “It’s great to now see a real drive from companies wanting to attract women into roles, from captains and chief engineers at sea, to senior executives on shore, which will in turn help unlock the potential of their businesses.”