Women at Foreship: Sarah Blackwell

Last month, our industry proudly celebrated diversity and inclusion with the International Maritime Organization's International Day for Women in Maritime – supporting gender equality and the empowerment of women. This annual occasion raises the profile of females across the sector, and promotes their recruitment, retention and sustained employment.

As such, Foreship Ltd. is delighted to continue our series highlighting some of our fantastic women, and their roles in our global locations.

In this edition, we introduce Sarah Blackwell , Project Engineer, Naval Architect, Ship Theory, Foreship Ltd.

How many years have you been with Foreship? Describe your current role and what an average day looks like.

I have worked at Foreship for three years in total. My current position is Project Engineer specializing in stability. My typical workday is spent modelling ships in Napa, performing stability calculations, and updating drawings for upcoming drydocks in AutoCAD. I also travel to ships to do lightweight surveys and inclining tests.

How did you choose your career, and what steps have you taken on your path to date?

I chose my career while pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan. I chose to apply to engineering schools because my strongest subjects were calculus and physics, so I knew engineering would play into my strengths. In university, naval architecture piqued my interest because I have always liked ships, and the field allowed me to work with people of many different backgrounds. I was especially motivated to do work onboard ships and see how they work in operation, and I am lucky that my current position allows me to do just that!

My career path has evolved a bit since I started studying. When I graduated, Foreship gave me the opportunity to move to Finland from the US. It was an exciting path for me as I’ve always been interested in living abroad. Since moving, I’ve gone back to school to get a master’s degree from Aalto University. I returned to Foreship after graduating, during which time my role evolved to include more stability work.

There is clearly a gender gap in the maritime industry, and the sector hasn’t been an obvious choice for women.  What inspired you to join – and continues to inspire you in your position today?

I chose the field that worked best with my personal strengths, and it happened to be a male-dominated field. I hope that everyone feels comfortable pursuing a career in the field of their choice. My gender is not much of a factor in my career. If you notice your own gender at work, usually it is because of something negative. Ideally, none of us would have to sit back and consider something as arbitrary as our genders in our careers. But if I do notice anything unjust, it only motivates me to prove myself.

When it comes to technical roles in maritime, how do you see professions and opportunities evolving for women?

Opportunities have evolved for women the same as they have for men. It is more about providing an environment where women can thrive. I am grateful that Foreship is such an open-minded workplace full of people of different backgrounds, where everyone tries to get to know one another!

In the maritime field, it is great to see women in engineering roles and in roles aboard ships. The number of women in these roles is slowly increasing all the time. The maritime field is tricky due to the nature of being away from home for weeks or months. Women should not have to choose between a family or a career, so support at home is one of the key ways to increase the longevity of women’s careers in the maritime field. I hope to see employers support all parents in these roles, regardless of gender. Gender equality is a group effort, for which men should also be motivated! Fortunately, I am surrounded by respectful and encouraging men in my career, and strong women who inspire me to succeed.

Can you give any examples of how things have developed in your time? What else would you like to see in the near future?

There are plenty of upcoming regulatory changes, especially regarding sustainability. I think it is a great opportunity for innovation in the industry. There have been increasing roles for environmental engineers specializing in marine engineering and marine fuels. When I first started studying 10 years ago, LNG was an emerging fuel. Now, many newbuilds are fuelled with LNG, and are even being built for conversions to future fuels. The marine industry is famously slow due to the scale and risk associated with shipbuilding, but regulations are accelerating changes and forcing innovations which are exciting to see develop in real time.

What advice would you give to women considering a career in maritime?

Don’t be shy and don’t be scared! Even if you’re the only woman in the room, know that everyone in that room wants you to succeed, and with experience, you’ll get more comfortable. No field will ever be 50/50, but the goal is not necessarily to increase quantity of women, but to increase quality of work environment for the women who are already here.

Being empowered as a woman means being empowered as an employee. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and try to get to know coworkers of all levels of experience. Finally, I hope that women will stay in this workforce in the long-term. I wish I’d entered a workforce where people like me were in positions of power, and if I can be that person to a young woman some day, I’ll feel that I’ve done my part.

For more information on Foreship please visit our website. To see more of the Women at Foreship series, follow Foreship Ltd. on LinkedIn.