Saudi Funded Glofouling Partnership hosts ‘Latin American and Caribbean Women in Maritime: Biofouling Management’

The upcoming ‘Latin American and Caribbean Women in Maritime: Biofouling Management,’ workshop, funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will be the second GloFouling Partnership workshop dedicated to women working in biofouling management. Scheduled for July 8th to 12th in Panama, this workshop follows the success of the first one in May 2023 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The initial workshop welcomed women from 18 nations in the Middle East and North Africa region. This edition aims to continue empowering women and providing them with training in biofouling management.

This workshop will see invitations extended to female leaders from both Latin America and the Caribbean region including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, Suriname, Panama, and Peru. The workshop will also see participation and contributions from leading female Saudi leaders from the entities from the Transport General Authority, Red Sea Global, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. The workshop will provide technical expertise and work to identify barriers and gaps related to gender-equality in the maritime sector.

The workshop, funded by the Kingdom, aims to implement IMO Guidelines for ships’ biofouling control globally to prevent the transfer of aquatic invasive species. It also promotes best practices for biofouling management in various ocean industries. Biofouling poses ecological threats and increases fuel consumption and maintenance costs on ships and leads to higher GHG emissions.

The workshop is based around supporting women in maritime and strengthening the seafaring community. Women play a key role in contributing to solving the issues of biofouling and this workshop works to bring everyone on board. Workshops such as this one raise awareness of the problems women face in the maritime industry and increase outreach to equip them with information on career and training opportunities. The workshop will also provide the opportunities for knowledge sharing and collaboration towards making the maritime industry a safer and more welcoming space for women.

The workshop supports women in maritime, addressing biofouling issues. While also raising career information, and the promotion collaboration for a safer more inclusive maritime industry for women. The female leaders attending the workshop will acquire new skills that they can bring back to their home countries, ultimately benefiting the region and the maritime sector. Saudi Arabia is dedicated to addressing biofouling concerns and making tangible progress towards gender equality. The Latin American and Caribbean Women in Maritime Biofouling Management workshop is one of many steps the Kingdom is taking towards these goals.