Damen strengthens female presence in the maritime industry

Damen’s Head of Communications, Sylvia Boer, has recently been appointed President of the Netherlands chapter of WISTA – the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association. WISTA the Netherlands was founded in 2000 and currently has 140 members from across the maritime industry, the Group said in a press release.

Sylvia, who has been a WISTA member since 2008 and joined the organisation’s board in 2013, said, “I am honoured to take up this position as President of WISTA in the Netherlands. Within the role I will strive to connect women in the maritime industry, helping them to expand their networks and skills, encouraging them to inspire each other in their careers by sharing thoughts and advice – to make a difference with a feminine touch in a man’s world!”

WISTA the Netherlands focuses on a number of priority topics affecting the industry. Amongst these are sustainability, new technologies, big data, health & safety, cyber security, block chain, developing cultural sensitivity and last, but by no means least, clean oceans.

WISTA has 3,000 members in 40 countries from diverse maritime-related organisations including ship operators, shipyards, equipment suppliers, brokers, banks, insurance specialists, legal experts and training and research institutes. Its chapters around the world aim to support women in the industry via such means as regular meetings, workshops, presentation speeches and company visits.

Last month, one such visit took place in Sharjah, when WISTA UAE visited Albwardy Damen. Present at the event was HRH Princess Sarah Al Saud, Director of Maritime Business Development and the International Forum for Maritime Transport at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.

Speaking at the event, Albwardy Damen MD Lars Seistrup said, “We believe that women’s participation is important to this industry. The maritime community should believe in the talent of women and in their ability to accomplish tough jobs within our sector. This can be achieved by equipping them with the right education, training and skills.”

Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 34 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 10,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts. For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works. Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating and (covered) drydocks, the largest of which is 420 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyages.