Project to showcase female involvement in industry over the centuries

A group of leading organisations within the maritime industry are collaborating on a project to highlight the activities undertaken by women in shipping over the past few centuries.

The ‘Rewriting women into maritime history’ project will collate the material that is spread across archives beginning within those in the City of London, and then expanding to the UK & Ireland, and internationally so that accounts of women in the shipping industry can be identified and placed in the public domain for the first time.

Led by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Heritage and Education Centre (LRF HEC), the collaboration currently involves Lloyd’s List, International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the Nautical Institute, the Women in Shipping and Trade Association (WISTA UK), Nautilus International and Preston Turnbull LLP. It is also being supported by The International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM), The National Maritime Museum, the University of Exeter and The British Commission for Maritime History (BCMH). Other interested parties are invited to join the initiative, which will run over several years.

The extensive research and interpretation project will provide plenty of opportunities for organisations to be involved in outreach activities to engage a global audience. A key theme of the project is diversity, equality and inclusion. Through ensuring that forgotten voices are heard, stories generated by the project can highlight the many opportunities presented by a maritime career.

Louise Sanger, the Head of Research, Interpretation and Engagement at LRF HEC who is leading the research project said: “Women in maritime history is an area of growing research but there is still work to be done. Apart from a few notable exceptions, women have largely been excluded from the maritime history narrative. We hope that this new research project will help to contribute to the growing discourse of women’s history and help uncover forgotten stories. Importantly, through raising awareness the initiative will help to encourage discussion and action on inequalities that still exist in the industry today.”

Philippa Charlton, Chief Marketing Officer at Lloyd’s Register said: “Women have always been involved in the maritime industry but there is limited publicly available evidence of their engagement in shipping from the 1800s and even earlier, until the present day. This has created a misperception that women are ‘new’ to shipping, or that their past contributions have not been significant or meaningful. We hope to help rectify that with Rewriting women into maritime history and we hope other organisations will join us.”

Natalie Shaw MBE, ICS Director Employment Affairs, added: “At ICS we are delighted to be supporting this important project. Women have long been a part of our industry and it is time that this is recognised. We are all currently on a journey, and rightfully so, to ensure that our sector is more diverse, equitable and inclusive. As we mark our centenary here at ICS our focus is on the future but we should not forget the past and the important role that women played in history. ICS calls on the industry to support this project and to help rewrite women into maritime history.”

Dr Helen Doe, from The University of Exeter, Vice Chair for the British Commission for Maritime History and author of Enterprising Women and Shipping in the Nineteenth Century, added:  ‘Women have always played an important part in the maritime sphere both by running maritime business, working in maritime industries and through financial support, but finding them is the hard part. This project to identify sources will celebrate these women and highlight their contribution.’

Elizabeth Turnbull, founding Partner of law firm Preston Turnbull LLP, said: “This is an incredibly exciting project which seeks to give voice to women who were, perhaps unknowingly, veritable pioneers in a traditionally male industry and whose contributions and experiences merit to be uncovered, dusted-off and celebrated. These pioneering women deserve our gratitude as they helped the industry evolve into a more inclusive place and they will no doubt serve as role models and inspiration for all participants today as well as for generations to come.”

Monica Kohli, President of WISTA UK also added: “WISTA U.K. are delighted to partner on this vital research on the role of women in shipping historically. To develop in the future – we need to know our past, and celebrate the achievements of the ladies who have been present, made a difference but not yet been recognised or acknowledged.”