More women should be encouraged to take up careers at sea to increase the woefully low numbers of female seafarers around the world, the UK's Princess Anne told a Dubai audience on Friday.
As part of a brief visit to the UAE, Princess Anne visited the DP World pavilion at Dubai Expo City in her role as president of The Mission to Seafarers charity calling for greater female representation in the shipping industry.
Currently, just 2 per cent of the 1.9 million seafarer posts around the world are occupied by women – a proportion the Princess Royal wants to see increase with greater support networks at sea, and on shore.
In short, women have not been provided with the support they need or deserve to succeed in this sector
Princess Anne
Princess Anne, who has headed the Mission since 1984, is a regular visitor to the UAE since her first official appointment in 1987 to open Dubai’s first international showjumping event.
On Friday, she visited Jebel Ali port – one of 200 across 50 countries where welfare teams from the charity conducted 39,000 ship visits last year, supporting more than 270,000 seafarers.
“I have always been proud that our services have been open to all seafarers without discrimination,” Princess Anne said in her speech at the Women in Shipping and Trading Conference in Dubai.
“For many years, we operated the Flying Angel in Fujairah – the world’s first floating seafarers’ centre.
"More recently, our work has focused on providing support to visiting crews and to those with acute justice and welfare needs, such as those abandoned by their employer.
“The mission team here has worked closely with the Federal Maritime Authority and other stakeholders to bring about a dramatic reduction in these types of cases.
“I am encouraged greatly by this, and hope that by further collaboration, the problem can be eradicated entirely.”
Fewer abandoned ships
A drastic reduction in the number of reported abandonments have been praised as a success in the UAE in recent years, resulting from tougher penalties for ship owners who neglect staff or delay payments and repatriation at the end of contracts.
One of the most high-profile cases was that of the MT Iba that ran aground in Umm Al Quwain in January 2021, almost four years after the five crew on board left port in the 5,000 tonne oil tanker.
The men had not been paid for 32 months by the vessel’s owner Alco Shipping, and were kept alive by support from the Mission to Seafarers.
Their case won worldwide attention, pushing authorities to change the way seafarers are treated when shipping companies hit financial difficulties.
A Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure framework now protects the rights of seafarers on board ships in UAE waters and ports.
Owners of abandoned vessels face a Dh20,000 fine, and an additional Dh10,000 fine for each seafarer on board, with fines doubled for repeat offenders.
A short film has since been made about the crew’s experience on board the Mt Iba.
The documentary, called Floating Prison, was directed by Palestinian-Jordanian Laith Al Ramahi and Spencer Shea, with funding from the Al Qasimi Foundation for film grants.
It was shown at the Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival in February.
At the DP World Pavilion, Princess Anne said focus should also fall on to the role of women seafarers, and the specific challenges they face.
“All seafarers experience a range of challenges when working at sea – including long contracts, months apart from family and friends, loneliness, isolation, and risk of injury,” the princess said.
“But women seafarers also face challenges that arise from the predominantly male working environment.
“In some countries, employers do not employ females because they think they will work at sea for shorter periods of time than their male counterparts.
“Women are often forced to wear male boiler suits and footwear, which are uncomfortable and impractical.
“In short, women have not been provided with the support they need or deserve to succeed in this sector.”
Welfare issues
In 2022, The Mission to Seafarers published a discussion paper entitled Beyond the 2 per cent to start a dialogue within the welfare sector regarding female seafarers.
The report consulted widely with industry and associated bodies and looked specifically at female seafarers working on cargo ships, cruise ships and superyachts.
Women were more often in the vast minority on board cargo ships, the report found, with key issues around how women found access to space limited.
Sexual harassment, bullying and isolation were common issues raised by speakers at the Dubai conference.
“I started my career as a seafarer nearly 40 years ago,” said Karen Davis, managing director of the Oil Companies International Marine Forum, who was a master mariner for 15 years.
“When I was a cadet, I was usually the only woman on board a ship.
“Quite often we were kept in different rooms in differed parts of the vessel for various reasons.
“We had locked doors, and someone on our watch would have to walk us to our rooms at night.
“Then, drinking [alcohol] was allowed on board ship,s so that was a dilemma.”
Ms Davis described an incident in which she received a public dressing down from her captain, and told reasons why she should not be at sea.
“Having those tough experiences helped me in situations later,” she said.
“Training is key and I have seen a real change in mood, with better policies and more encouragement for women to further their careers.”
Brighter future ahead
Recent graduates from the Sharjah Maritime Academy attended the conference to discuss their experiences of shipping in the UAE.
Cadets said the academy was bucking the global trend, with the majority of places at the academy – 60 per cent – occupied by women.
Khalid Alhammad, president at Bahri Ship management in Saudi Arabia, said the kingdom was also rapidly changing its approach to recruiting more women in shipping.
“This change was brought in by Vision 2030, which is diversifying and modernising our society,” he said.
“I had never thought women would start driving in my lifetime.
“Then in 2017, there was this major shift in how society moves forward together.
“Suddenly women had that freedom. It was amazing to see my sister and my nieces driving.
“Another thing was job opportunities, and an enormous number of women have joined the workforce.
“We've already started bringing on female cadets, and have changed processes, procedures and policies to ensure there will be no harassment for women.
“We have video conferences with vessels and free Wi-Fi on board – this is a major shift.”
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
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- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The five pillars of Islam
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The five pillars of Islam
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
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Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
