HAMBURG, Germany
New initiative aims to increase female representation in maritime careers, with at least 20% of new trainee intakes targeted for female cadets
Hapag-Lloyd (ETR: HLAG) has launched its new Shefarer Program, a long-term initiative designed to sustainably increase the share of women working at sea and strengthen career opportunities for women across the maritime industry.
Developed in cooperation with partners Jebsen PTC, Anglo-Eastern Ship Management (Germany) GmbH and Marlow Navigation Co. Ltd, the program introduces targeted measures to attract more women to maritime careers, support their professional development on board and improve visibility for women seafarers across Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet.
A central part of the Shefarer Program is the promotion of young talent. Hapag-Lloyd said that, going forward, at least 20% of new trainee intakes will be female cadets. The target will also apply to the company’s international crew pipeline, with a particular focus on young Filipino talent.
The program will also introduce selected Shefarer vessels, where several women seafarers will be deployed together across different ranks and functions. The goal is to ensure that women on board are seen as an integral part of the crew, whether serving as cadets, officers, engineers, oilers or captains.
In addition, Hapag-Lloyd is investing in separate changing rooms, showers and toilets on all newbuildings scheduled to enter service in the coming years, further improving working and living conditions for women at sea.
“With the Shefarer Program, we are creating concrete structures to help more women enter the maritime industry and build long-term careers at sea,” said Silke Lehmköster, Managing Director Fleet at Hapag-Lloyd. “Mixed crews strengthen communication, collaboration and mutual respect on board. Our goal is to increase the visibility of women at sea and to create more career opportunities for them across our fleet.”
Women currently represent 5.71% of Hapag-Lloyd’s crew. The company also has four women captains currently sailing for Hapag-Lloyd, representing 4.6% of its captains.
The Shefarer Program forms part of Hapag-Lloyd’s broader strategy to make maritime careers more attractive and visible while helping the industry attract qualified young talent for the future.
About Hapag-Lloyd
With a fleet of 302 modern container ships and a total transport capacity of 2.5 million TEU, Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies. In the Liner Shipping segment, the company has 15,200 employees and 400 offices in 140 countries. Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of 3.6 million TEU, including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers. A total of 133 liner services worldwide provide fast and reliable connections between 600 ports on all continents.
In the Terminal & Infrastructure segment, Hapag-Lloyd has equity stakes in 24 marine terminals in Europe, Latin America, the United States, India and North Africa. The segment has 4,400 employees and provides complementary logistics services at selected locations in addition to terminal activities.
Last modified: May 18, 2026
