Laarni B. Espinosa is our first female top-level officer. We count on her to be the first of many.
On the 17th of December, Captain Dave V. Osunero promoted 2nd Mate Laarni B. Espinosa to Chief Officer Trainee onboard the Star Lygra. That marked a historic event for us. For the first time, we have a female top-level officer on one of our vessels.
At the beginning of 2019, we set a short term target to our Sustainable Development Goal number 5. By the end of the year, we should have a woman at one of the top-level positions onboard.
That is why we celebrated when we heard that Laarni B. Espinosa had convinced her captain that she was ready for the Chief Mate position.
“One of the fantastic benefits of diversity in the workplace is, in my opinion, creativity. Chief Mate Trainee Espinosa has shown me that she can tackle day to day challenges in her own way,” says Captain Dave v. Osunero.
Chief Officer Trainee Laarni B Espinosa
We know some people would ask why it has taken us so long time. But we find it essential that our female seafarers earn their stripes the same way their male colleagues do. Any short cuts will hurt their standing and the fight for gender equality. It would not help the fight for gender equality if we hired a top-level officer from another company either. If we are to increase the number of female seafarers, we need to educate, hire, coach, facilitate and promote our own seafarers.
“Women play a significant role in the development and progress of our economy. To be recognized as part of the workforce in this challenging world of the maritime industry is a great leap towards gender equality and an acknowledgement of our contribution. And I am very grateful to Grieg Star for this opportunity,” says our fresh Chief Mate Trainee, Laarni B. Espinosa.
One of our Sustainable Development Goals is goal number 5: Gender Equality.
