Seatrade-Maritime: Female cadets have an impact well beyond their own career

Published by Seatrade-Maritime

Japanese shipowner Mitsui OSK Line’s (MOL) academy in the Philippines with Magsaysay saw its highest in take of women cadets in its history this year.

Giving a keynote address at the Nautical Institute (Singapore) conference on Thursday Sakura Kuma, Managing Director of MOL Asia and Oceania, highlighted the company’s long \-term commitment to training the next generation of seafarers through its MOL Magsaysay Maritime Academy (MMMA) in the Philippines.

“MMMA is far more than a maritime academy, it is an investment in people, in skills, and a future resilience of our industry,” she stated.

Kuma said she was particularly encouraged by the progress the academy had made in attracting women to take up a career at sea. Of the 208 cadets welcomed by the academy this year 31 were women with 17 deck and 14 engine cadets. This is the highest number of women cadets enrolled in a single year and brings the cumulative total to over 100.

Additionally, MOL supported two women under the Singapore Maritime Foundation’s MaritimeONE scholarship last year and is taking two more cadets at sea this year.

Kuma said these milestones in recruiting women matter as in the past shipping has only drawn from one part of the available talent pool and MOL wants to enlarge this pool to encompass the best talent regardless of gender, nationality or background.

The young female cadets of today are role models to the young women of the future when it comes to making career choices.

“What inspires me most is these young women are not simply receiving opportunities; they are earning their place through capability, determination, discipline, and passion for the sea,” Kuma said.

“They will become the future officers, engineers, captains, technical specialists, and industry leaderships. Their success will help change the image of what a maritime professional can look like. Their impact extends beyond their own career and every woman cadet becomes a visible example to the next generation.”

While Kuma noted that women at sea still make up a small minority of total numbers of seafarers, women are contributing across every part of the maritime value chain at sea and shore across operations, law, finance, technology, policy, education, and leadership.

To this end last year she was one of the founders of Wista in Japan, the youngest Women in Shipping and Trading Association organisation in Asia.

Kuma called for support of the development of Wista in Japan from delegates in the room. “I know many of you also have branches, friends, companies, business in Japan related to your Japanese partners. Please play an active role to let them also become closer to Western Japan.”