'The only woman in the room.' Female mariners, leaders bond at Cape maritime school event

BUZZARDS BAY — It takes self-empowerment and courage, said Cambria Parrott, a senior engineering student at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, to be one of the few women in the maritime field.

"Most of the time I'm the only woman in the room," said Parrott of Brewster. "But that's when I remember that representation matters and women can have just as much of an opinion as everyone else."

Parrott, along with hundreds of maritime cadets from seven maritime schools across the country, attended the 12th annual Women on the Water Conference.

The three-day event, which ends Saturday, also attracted a host of maritime professionals and faculty to the academy for panel discussions, workshops, and a ferry guided tour of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal.

During a keynote address on Thursday, U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration Rear Admiral Ann Phillips spoke to convention attendees and said she was one of only a handful of women during her time in the U.S. Navy in the 1980s.

"We outnumber the men in the room tonight but there less than 7% women at sea," said Phillips, who was sworn in as the 20th administrator for the Department of Transportation on May 16, 2022.

The conference, she said, is just one avenue in the maritime industry where women can network and support each other.

"A life at sea is worth the time and effort. There are beautiful moments and terrifying moments. But the beautiful moments and camaraderie will overcome the terrifying ones and will make good sea stories in the end," said Phillips.

Phillips acknowledges lack of women and women of color at sea

Phillips said it is incredibly hard for women of color to break into the maritime industry. When Phillips attended a shipping week excursion in the United Kingdom at the beginning of her career, she said she noticed how few women of color were represented.

"There were 500 people on a vessel and one person was a minority and there were a half dozen women," she said. "We are still in a very difficult situation when it comes to making change in industry."

Academy Cadet Bridget Ruiz is Colombian and identifies as biracial. Despite challenges for women of color, she said she and other cadets work at creating a sense of camaraderie.

"Women and women of color in the industry are paving the way for everyone coming behind," said Ruiz, who is also a diversity, equity and inclusion officer at the university. "It make you feel hopeful because you have so many people looking out for you."

Ruiz just accepted a job with the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA Corps, but she said no matter where she goes, she will continue to help her "sisters and brothers" in the industry.

"I’m making sure that I am having those personal connections with them so that when they break into this industry I can look them up and support them as much as I can," she said.

Building a respectful culture at sea

In the last several years, the U.S. Department of Transportation has been streamlining opportunities for cadets in the maritime industry by doubling incentive programs for cadets and young mariners at state maritime academies, and through its Center of Excellence program, which recognizes educational institutions that offer training in the maritime world, said Phillips.

Building a respectful culture at sea for female mariners is also a top priority, she said. During her speech, she spoke about a sexual assault that occurred at sea in 2021. Phillips didn't go into specifics during her speech.

Through Every Marine Builds a Respectful Culture or EMBARC, Phillips said the country is focused on keeping merchant cadets safe at sea. EMBARC, said Phillips, established a sexual assault prevention and response program.

"In addition to the Coast Guard Act, it puts safety management practices into the safety management system so that ships, carriers, and companies have a process by which their program can be inspected and managed," said Phillips.

Ships will also be inspected and managed by the Maritime Administration, said Phillips, through the Office of Cadet Training At-Sea Safety, or OCTAS, office. It's an opportunity to ensure that midshipman cadets and all mariners are safe and valued as employees "and are not subject to bullying and harassment and worse while they are sailing," she said.

Change starts at home for Mass Maritime female cadets

Academy Acting Marine Engineering Department Chair Katherine McClellan said the female faculty is aware of the obstacles female mariners face.

"We are really trying to support them. They know they can talk to us about anything they feel is a problem," she said.

Staff also provides all cadets with mentors on and off the ships, said McClellan. "We've all faced these challenges and we have the ability to get through them if we work together," she said. Faculty also brings back female officers from the industry to campus so students can continuously interact, learn, and network.

"Back in the day we didn’t always have that," said McClellan. "Seeing a person that looks like them, and is doing what they want to do, makes all the difference."

What it means for cadets to see successful women in the maritime industry

For Parrott, the outpouring of women at the conference was important for her to witness, she said.

"It kind of give you faith that the industry is up and coming for women," said Parrott.

McClellan said times are changing — not only with more women in the industry, but also with more female visibility on campus.

As a Cape Codder, Parrott said working on the water has always been a calling. And after the conference, she's even more confident that she can find success at sea.

"It's been a huge insight into what I want to see and what I aspire to be," said Parrott who is planning to ship with a company for the next few years. "It gives me excitement."

Rachael Devaney writes about community and culture. Reach her at rdevaney@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RachaelDevaney.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.  

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Support, connections for women mariners a focus of Cape college event