NEW DELHI: On the third day of Sagarmanthan, which was held in New Delhi at Hotel Taj Palace on October 9, the first session began with a focus on women in the blue economy. A dedicated session titled “Women in Blue: Shaping the Future of Maritime Leadership” at Sagarmanthan 2026 brought to the forefront the fact that despite women playing an important role in the sphere of coastal micro-economies, fisheries supply chains, and traditional marine services, they were yet to find their way to the top-tier decision-making levels. The discussion revolved around what measures need to be taken to include women at the top level where crucial decisions are made.
Prominent speakers who were part of this discussion included Ruth Schilling, Managing Director, German Maritime Museum, Germany, Carolyn Hull, Board of Trustees and Director, Economic and Workforce Development, AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, United States of America, Alexandra Leeper, Chief Executive Officer, Iceland Ocean Cluster and Board Member of Danish Ocean Cluster, Iceland, Anusha Kesarkar Gavankar, Senior Fellow and Director – Oceans Initiative, Observer Research Foundation, India and Tom Pickerell, Global Director, Ocean Program, World Resources Institute, United Kingdom. The session was moderated by Hem Kaur Saroya, Host, Vantage, Firstpost, India.
On being asked why participation of women does not translate into power in the maritime sector, Ruth Schilling stated, “It has a lot to do with traditions and culture and the working environment that is risk-ridden. To give more power to women in the maritime economy, it means that there is a need to bring about change in the culture and politics of visibility.” She further said that she has not seen many women playing a vital role in Maritime museums.
Ruth opined that women are integrated in the maritime economy, not only in the fishing communities, but they played a very active role in steam shipping. It is here that women played an important role as coal miners and were part of seafaring; they were also.”
Alexandra Leeper reiterated the point which was pointed out by Ruth and added that culture does play an important role. Historically, in Iceland women played a very significant role in the fisheries sector, and there is a long history of women being captains in ships in the 15th and 16th centuries. Unfortunately, this history has been buried.” Leeper, however, pointed out that an American historian had gone to Iceland, and he told them the story about one of the female ship captains in Iceland who used to wear trousers fearlessly. She added that such stories got lost in history owing to the change in the cultural pattern. It is due to this that even in Iceland, we do not see women in leadership roles in the maritime industry. Leeper categorically said that owing to the absence of proper systems, women are not getting their due in the maritime economy.
On what measures need to be taken to ensure that the presence of women is enhanced in the blue economy and they play a vital role, Carolyn stated that they are nurturing young females at their institute by developing necessary skills so that they see themselves in jobs in the blue economy where they can excel. To accomplish this task, Carolyn highlighted that at their institute they enrol children from middle to high schools and train them to work with the businesses that are locally domiciled. The objective is to make sure that women, after being trained, when they venture back to the business and hold a particular position, they are confident enough to do so.
Anusha, during the panel discussion, highlighted that when one is talking about women in the blue economy, it is not just women vs men. It is more about looking at the larger talent pool and how we can broaden that talent pool without leaving half of the potential. The aim is to bring about more equal representation in the blue economy.
Meanwhile, the only male representative in the panel discussion, Tom stated that there is a need to look into why we are leaving out 50 per cent of leaders, researchers and innovators in the field of the blue economy. On being asked what are the challenges that are being faced with regards to getting women to play a more pertinent role in blue economy, Tom stated that, “It is not just about opening the door for women in the blue economy but give them the confidence as to where that door leads to.” Tom added that in his organisation, they ensure that women get an important role to play when it comes to decision-making at leadership level. In order to achieve this goal, they work towards mentoring and training the women candidates also so that they can do justice to the role which they are assigned to. He further opined that women should be made to believe that they are not just given a seat in the room, but they are there to make an impact while making a decision.
Speaking on the important role that women need to be given in maritime economy, Anusha Kesarkar Gavankar stated that it is high time that the true potential of women is realised in this sphere and women are not just given token positions. She stated that the aim is now to not merely let women participate in the maritime sector but to increase their engagement and involvement in the policy space itself. It is high time the whole ecosystem is looked at, which means women who have been contributing significantly to the blue economy, whether by selling fish, trading, or processing, are already part of it. Anusha said the need of the hour is to see how we can also make them part of the larger ecosystem, where their inputs can be considered in discussions.
Some of the other highlights of the panel discussion, on which the experts held the same view, included the need to increase access to specialised venture capital for female-led marine enterprises and develop international mentorship networks. They also agreed on the need to provide targeted technical training in oceanography, digital navigation, and maritime law. By giving more power and responsibilities to women, new models of sustainable growth could be achieved, and the future of maritime growth would become both resilient and inclusive.
