SWARNA KRISHNA

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First ship with only female officers flagged

History was written on March 6, 2021, when the 'Swarna Krishna' of the Shipping Corporation got flagged from India's Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Mumbai, having only female officers onboard the ship. Celebrating International Women’s Day as well as SCI's silver jubilee, Mansukh Mandaviya, minister of state for ports, shipping, and waterways flagged off the vessel. The move comes as the need of the hour as the gender imbalance in the shipping industry continues to grow. The International Chamber of Shipping had issued a 50-page report containing urgent recommendations for the industry to address its extraordinary diversity issues. International Transport Workers Federation bargain agreements stated that the total number of seafarers available for service on ships stands at 1,647,500. Out of this, women seafarers constitute only 1%, highlighting the gravity of the situation. The cruise industry relatively stands at a better position than other segments of the industry when it comes to gender imbalance. Including cruise shipping in the above report, the global share of women seafarers jumps to 7.5%. The tanker flagging off marks the first time in history that a ship is completely being managed by women seafarers, including the engine room. The SCI has been a forerunner in employing women seafarers on board its vessels, implementing various endeavors to aspiring female cadets at its maritime training institute. However, the Indian government has decided to privatize SCI, with some of the bids coming from Exmar, GMS, and Foresight. "We want to transition SCI from a conventional shipping company to specifically energy tonnage. India energy demand is expected to grow double-digit.”