On May 18, International Day for Women in Maritime, Hapag-Lloyd announced the official launch of the "Shefarer Program," aimed at steadily increasing the representation of women in the shipping industry.

Hapag-Lloyd, together with its partners Jebsen PTC, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management (Germany), and Marlow Navigation, has agreed on a series of measures to attract more women to seafaring careers and provide targeted support for their professional development on board.

One of the core pillars of the program is a strong focus on cultivating young talent. Going forward, female cadets will make up at least 20% of Hapag-Lloyd's newly recruited trainees. This target will also apply to the international crewing pipeline, with a particular emphasis on the selection and development of young talent in the Philippines.

Another key component of the program is the introduction of designated "Shefarer" vessels. On these ships, multiple female seafarers will work together across different roles and ranks. The objective is to make it so that women on board are no longer viewed as an "exception," but as a natural part of the crew—whether as cadets, officers, engineers, fitters, or captains.

Furthermore, Hapag-Lloyd will ensure that all newbuildings entering service over the coming years are equipped with separate changing rooms, showers, and sanitary facilities to further improve the working and living conditions for women at sea.

Silke Lehmköster, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd's Fleet, stated: "With the 'Shefarer Program,' we are building practical mechanisms to help more women enter the maritime industry and achieve long-term careers at sea. Mixed-gender crews contribute to better communication, collaboration, and mutual respect on board. Our goal is to increase the visibility of women at sea and create more career opportunities for them across our fleet."

Currently, women make up 5.71% of Hapag-Lloyd's total seagoing workforce. Additionally, four female captains currently serve at Hapag-Lloyd, representing 4.6% of the company's total captains.

Hapag-Lloyd stated that the "Shefarer" program is part of its long-term strategy to enhance the attractiveness and visibility of seafaring careers and attract talented young people to the industry.

In 2024, fellow liner giant CMA CGM had already launched its own female seafarer initiative—"She sails: Empowering at Sea by CMA CGM"—with the goal of recruiting 500 female seafarers by 2026. One year after the program's launch, CMA CGM successfully doubled the number of women working on board its vessels last year.

By the end of 2025, the "She sails" initiative had increased the number of female seafarers in the CMA CGM fleet from 200 to 403, an increase of 101%. Buoyed by this momentum, CMA CGM has now set an ambitious target of having 1,000 female seafarers sailing by the end of 2030.