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Women Offshore is a leading website, network and resource center for women in the maritime industry. Their mission is to shine a light on women in operations, provide resources to foster long-term careers, and share the latest efforts on gender diversity and inclusion in the offshore and maritime industries. We spoke to Women Offshore founder Ally Cedeno to find out more about the work she and her members are doing to support a more diverse workforce on the water.

What was the moment that you realised the world needed Women Offshore?
In 2015, I was assigned to work on an ultra-deepwater drillship in the Gulf of Mexico as a dynamic positioning operator (DPO). This was the first time where I worked alongside several women on a drillship. I became especially close with the female third officer and third engineer, and we opened up to each other about some of our experiences working offshore. Seeing how similar our challenges and successes had been, I felt very bonded to them, and looking back, we mentored each other, probably without realizing it. I found the environment overall to be inclusive, and I thrived. After two years of working on board, I was promoted as a Senior DPO and then given the opportunity to work on a brand new drillship in South Korea.

In South Korea, I missed that camaraderie and remained close with my previous crew. I thought that the environment on my previous vessel was how the industry should be, and that maybe I could recreate that environment online. Each day after a 12-hour shift in the shipyard, I could not wait to get back to my apartment to work on the website I was building, WomenOffshore.org. I would stay up until I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

I felt an internal shift when I put together the site. It was this moment where I realized I was so proud of the women I was profiling as role models and the opportunities to work on the water. I knew this would be a gift for anyone who happened upon it and could use the resources to propel their own careers.

Diversity is vital. What are the particular qualities that women bring to the maritime industry?
Yes diversity is vital. However to answer your question, it’s important that the maritime industry view women as individuals and not put women in a box, expecting certain qualities. Stereotypes often hurt women and hold us back. For example, I work on ultra-deepwater drill ships. Often women are seen working on the bridge as dynamic positioning operators (DPO). I was a DPO for 10 years, a job that I enjoyed.