Danish Shipowners Target Bullying, Promote DEI

A series of new recommendations have been published Danish Shipping that aim to end bullying and harassment onboard Danish-flagged ships.

The recommendations were announced at Danish Shipping’s annual Blue Pride Bar event and handed over to the Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Morten Bødskov.

The move follows the announcement in January 2024 by Bødskov of a series of initiatives to prevent bullying and harassment on Danish ships. One of these initiatives was the creation of best practice recommendations, which include effective and visible whistleblower schemes and complaint procedures.

The best practice recommendations were developed by Danish Shipping in collaboration with member shipping companies, Metal Maritime and Danish Engineer's Association.

"Harassment and bullying are unacceptable, regardless of one's gender, ethnicity, religion, or whether one works on water or land,” he said. “With these, all seafarers, regardless of gender, can hopefully board knowing that their time at sea will be a safe and secure experience."

There are three main recommendations, supplemented by several action proposals:
·         Lead from the top
·         Focus on the challenges and implement training
·         Measure and report regularly.

"The new guidelines are intended to help create the framework to address the problem that unfortunately still exists onboard some ships. First and foremost, I hope that they will be a benefit for the employees onboard. But it also means that shipping companies will have better opportunities to recruit for the industry," said Lars Have Hansen, Chairman of the Danish Engineer's Association.

"We all have a responsibility to be as good at ensuring psychological safety as we have been at ensuring physical safety," said Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping.

The winner of Danish Shipping's DEI-award 2024 was also announced at the Blue Pride Bar event. The award, which was presented by former Minister of Equality Mogens Jensen, went to Hafnia. This is the second time Hafnia has won the DEI-award. Other strong contenders were DFDS and Uni-Tankers.

Danish Shipping's DEI-award is given to a shipping company or individual in the shipping industry who has made a special effort to promote diversity, equality and inclusion.

Hafnia has implemented a wide range of initiatives addressing the conditions for both seafarers and land-based employees. This includes improved parental leave policies, inclusive and gender-neutral language across the company, safety equipment and workwear tailored for both men and women, and zero tolerance for bullying and harassment. 8% of the seafarers in the company are women, which is significantly higher than the industry average.