The All Aboard Alliance on Tuesday releases its first-ever annual report detailing the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of 27 member companies within the maritime industry.

The Insights report, based on a binding commitment to submit annual self-assessments, found that while many companies are still starting out on their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) journeys, there are encouraging signs that the member companies are working to address some of the well-known problems in this area, such as those highlighted in the recent ’15 Key Pain Points for Women at Sea’ report, released by the Alliance at the end of April.

“This very first All Aboard Insights on diversity, equity and inclusion is a powerful testament to our collective resolve to examine the prevailing biases, systemic barriers, and historical inequalities that have hindered progress across the industry and within companies,” said Su Yin Anand, head of shipping at South32 and a co-chair of the All Aboard Alliance.

Anand and fellow All Aboard Alliance co-chair Mikael Skov, CEO of Hafnia, will be co-chairing awebinar on Tuesday, 20 June 2023 at 1pm CEST. The webinar is open to journalists and member companies and can be accessed here.

The Annual Insights 2023 report provides a deep dive into the five principles that member companies commit to upon joining the Alliance: appointing a business sponsor to lead DEI efforts; educating employees on their role in fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace; creating and maintaining an organisational culture of equity and belonging; capturing relevant data to evaluate progress; and externally communicating DEI commitment and progress.

The responses of the 27 member companies were assessed on a maturity scale to reveal how far along each responding company is on its commitment to the five principles. Companies have advanced furthest in meeting Principle 1, the appointment of a business sponsor to lead and ensure accountability of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the organisation. This DEI accountability generally resides at the C-suite leadership level and many member companies report aligning diversity, equity, and inclusion with their overall business strategy.

On the flip side, member companies are less mature when it comes to equipping employees to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and communicating their DEI commitment and progress to external audiences.

With the All Aboard Alliance principles having only existed for roughly a year, it is not surprising that many companies are still at the beginning of ensuring their implementation. Despite the early stage, the Insights 2023 report showcases numerous inspiring examples of proactive action taken by member companies to foster a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive maritime sector.

“The self-assessments clearly demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion among member companies and a genuine desire to make necessary changes,” said Susanne Justesen, project director for human sustainability at the Global Maritime Forum.

In addition to examining member companies’ progress within each of the five principles and providing numerous real-world examples of the companies’ DEI initiatives and challenges, the report also offers recommendations for how members can fast-track their approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“Progress will not be achieved through rhetoric or superficial gestures. We must comprehensively re-evaluate our practices, policies, and organisational cultures to foster an environment where individuals from all backgrounds can thrive, providing equal access to training, mentorship, and advancement opportunities,” said Mikael Skov, CEO of Hafnia and a co-chair of the All Aboard Alliance.

The All Aboard Alliance Insights 2023 report is produced as a collaboration between the Global Maritime Forum and the Diversity Study Group, which is a Founding Knowledge Partner of the All Aboard Alliance. The full report can be found here.