Carnival Maritime has announced that it is strengthening its cooperation with the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA), an international organization aiming to attract more women to the industry and support the role of women in shipping. The German arm of the international association, WISTA Germany, which is headquartered in Hamburg, elected a new board of directors at the beginning of July, and for the first time a representative of Carnival Maritime, Cindy Paarmann, has taken a place on the board.
“I am very happy and honored to be representing women in our industry in this key position. As HR Manager Development at Carnival Maritime, supporting women’s careers onboard is one of my focuses,” commented Paarman. “I want to encourage women to discover and embrace the many exciting and fulfilling career options in the cruise industry. The doors are open for them, because shipping companies have now realized what a great asset diversity is. Women belong on board!”
Carnival Maritime is the marine service unit for AIDA Cruises and Costa Crociere. Currently, 60 female officers work on the group’s vessels: two-thirds on deck and one third in engine services.
An example of what women can achieve in the marine industry is Germany’s first female cruise ship captain, WISTA member Nicole Langosch, who took over the helm of AIDA Cruises ships in April 2018.
Paarmann’s colleague Abi Lewis, director itinerary and fuel in the Carnival Maritime Nautical Department, has been participating with the WISTA mentoring programme since 2018.
“When it comes to the proportion of women in our industry, there is a lot of catching up to do and a very clear need for more information. Carnival Maritime is fully committed to encouraging women to join WISTA and explicitly supports the association’s activities and values. This way, we aim to make a positive contribution to ensuring that more women take on management roles in shipping,” added Tino Hensel, vice president marine HR.
Worldwide, the proportion of female officers is 5.4 percent. Alongside Spain, Finland and Malta, Germany has one of the highest proportions of women in the industry.
