Without international protection, shore-side support, we risk eroding the workforce that keep global commerce functioning –Mba, marine expert

By Bianca Iboma -Emefu

Joy Uchechukwu Mba, is a marine professional and the Managing Director of Vega Solutions Ltd.  Her experience spans more than two decades in seafaring, technical operations, maritime training, human resources and ship management.

She is a licensed deck officer who served aboard product tankers,  Mba has experienced maritime operations from the frontline. Her subsequent transition into human resources, professional training and corporate leadership has given her an understanding of both the vessel and the people behind its operation.

In this interview with Daily Sun, Mba revealed the twofold challenges women working within this traditionally male-dominated industry face. Analyzing the geopolitical tensions creating unprecedented risks for commercial shipping as well as concerns about the current maritime security environment, the marine expert positioned that without stronger international protection, better preparedness and genuine shore side support, we risk eroding the very workforce that keeps global commerce functioning.

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You have spent more than two decades in maritime operations. What first drew you to an industry that has traditionally been dominated by men?

I was drawn by the sheer scale and responsibility of the industry. Shipping moves nearly 90 percent of the world trade. That reality fascinated me. I wanted to understand the systems that keep global commerce alive. From the bridge of a product tanker carrying highly flammable cargo to the shore side decisions that determine whether a crew is properly supported.

The fact that it was male-dominated was secondary to the opportunity to contribute to something that truly matters to national and global economies. Once I experienced life at sea, the pull became even stronger. The discipline, teamwork under pressure and the knowledge that your decisions affect lives and livelihoods far beyond the vessel is paramount.

What was it like entering the maritime profession, particularly at a time when female representation at sea was significantly lower?

It required resilience and quiet determination. Female representation, especially in operational and technical roles was low. There were moments of curiosity, skepticism and the unspoken expectation that you prove yourself twice over.

Living and working in close quarters on product tankers demanded professionalism, competence and emotional steadiness. I focused on mastering my craft—navigation, cargo operations, safety procedures because competence is the most effective answer to doubt. Over time, consistent performance built respect. The experience taught me that presence and excellence gradually shift culture, even if the shift is slower than we would like.

Did you ever encounter situations where you had to work harder than your male colleagues to establish your competence or authority?

Yes. In high-stakes environments, authority is earned through demonstrated capability. As a woman, there were occasions when instructions were second-guessed or when I needed to be more precise, more prepared and more visible in my decision-making.

On tankers, where safety margins are tight and cargo is hazardous, there is no room for ambiguity. I learned to document thoroughly, communicate clearly and lead by example. Those experiences did not make me bitter; they made me sharper. They also reinforced that competence, once established, travels further than any assumption about gender.

What lessons did those experiences teach you about leadership?

Leadership is not about volume or force. It is about clarity, consistency and care for the people under your responsibility. At sea, a leader must create an environment where every crew member can perform without unnecessary friction. That means setting high standards while remaining approachable, recognizing that fatigue, stress and isolation affect everyone, and ensuring that procedures protect both the ship and the human beings operating it.

Leadership also means advocating for your team when shore side decisions overlook the realities of life on board. Those early experiences shaped how I approach human resources and ship management today. People first, systems that support them, and accountability that is fair.

Today, geopolitical tensions are creating unprecedented risks for commercial shipping. What concerns you most about the current maritime security environment?

What concerns me most is the normalization of risk for seafarers. We see missile attacks, drone warfare, vessel seizures and prolonged exposure in high-risk corridors such as the Red Sea and parts of the Middle East.

The industry discusses re-routing, insurance premiums and cargo delays, yet the human cost—prolonged anxiety, fatigue; uncertainty about whether the next transit will be safe receives less sustained attention.

Seafarers are being asked to carry world trade while carrying the risks. That imbalance is unsustainable. Without stronger international protection, better preparedness and genuine shore side support, we risk eroding the very workforce that keeps global commerce functioning.

When a vessel is operating through a high-risk geopolitical corridor, where does the responsibility for crew safety truly begin?

It begins long before the vessel enters the corridor. Responsibility starts with company policy, risk assessment, transparent communication with crews, adequate training for the specific threats they will face, and clear decision-making authority that prioritizes safety over commercial pressure.

It continues with real-time support from the office, access to updated threat intelligence, and contingency plans that include the psychological well-being of the crew. Flag states, coastal states, insurers and international organizations all share responsibility, but the primary duty of care sits with the ship-owner and manager who send people into harm’s way. Safety cannot be an afterthought once the vessel is already under threat.

The global conversation often focuses on ships, cargo and insurance losses. Are we overlooking the human beings actually carrying these risks?

You are absolutely right. Ships and cargo can be replaced or insured; but people cannot. When we treat seafarers as invisible components of a supply chain, we undermine the resilience of the entire system. Prolonged deployments, fatigue, uncertainty and the psychological weight of operating in conflict-prone waters have become recurring challenges.

My research and professional experience consistently show a gap between regulatory compliance and the lived realities of crews. Investing in mental health support, proper rest, family communication and post-voyage recovery is not charity—it is operational necessity. Protecting international trade begins with protecting the men and women who carry it across the oceans.

You have managed more than 500 seafarers and trained over 1,000 maritime professionals. What have those experiences taught you about the human side of shipping?

They have taught me that technical excellence and human welfare are inseparable. A well-trained, well-supported crew performs better, makes safer decisions and recovers faster from stress. Managing large personnel pools revealed patterns: the impact of prolonged isolation, the importance of clear career pathways, the difference that genuine listening makes, and the cost of neglecting mental health.

Training more than 1000 professionals showed me that continuous development builds confidence and reduces risk. People want to do good work; our systems must enable them rather than exhaust them. The human side of shipping is not soft; it is the foundation of safety and commercial reliability.

How should shipping companies rethink crew welfare when seafarers are exposed to conflict, prolonged voyages, fatigue and psychological pressure?

Companies must move from reactive compliance to proactive care. That means integrating mental health support into standard operating procedures, ensuring access to confidential counseling both on board and ashore, designing rotation policies that respect recovery time, and training masters and officers to recognize early signs of stress.

Transparent risk communication before high-risk transits is essential. Welfare also includes practical measures: reliable internet for family contact, proper rest facilities, and shore side teams that respond promptly when crews raise concerns.

Do you believe current maritime training adequately prepares crews for modern threats such as missile attacks, drone warfare, piracy and geopolitical instability?

Traditional training has served us well for conventional hazards, but the threat landscape has evolved faster than many curricula. Missile and drone threats, hybrid warfare and rapidly shifting geopolitical risks require updated scenario-based training, better threat-intelligence integration and more emphasis on decision-making under extreme uncertainty.

Piracy preparedness remains important, particularly in regions such as the Gulf of Guinea and the Niger Delta, but it must sit alongside training for new forms of attack. Licensed marine training programmes, including those certified to international standards, need continuous review. We must close the gap between regulatory minimums and the operational realities crews face today.

Where does artificial intelligence and emerging technology fit into maritime safety and risk management?

Technology is a powerful enabler, not a replacement for human judgment. AI can improve situational awareness, predictive maintenance, route optimization and threat detection. Digital systems can support better fatigue management and more accurate risk assessments. Autonomous and remote systems will play increasing roles, but the human element remains central—especially in high-stakes security situations where context, ethics and rapid adaptation matter.

My research on sustainable practices and enhanced safety protocols emphasizes that innovation must strengthen both environmental performance and crew protection. Technology should reduce unnecessary risk exposure for seafarers, not simply transfer it.

Your professional background also includes human resources. How important is HR leadership to maritime safety?

It is fundamental. Safety is not only procedures and equipment; it is people systems. HR leadership shapes recruitment standards, training pathways, welfare policies, performance culture and the psychological contract between company and seafarer. When HR understands operational realities—because it has lived them or listens carefully to those who have—it designs systems that prevent fatigue, support mental health and retain skilled professionals.

Poor HR decisions create safety risks. Strong HR leadership, grounded in maritime knowledge, turns people management into a core safety function. That integration is one of the strengths I bring to ship management and crew development.

There is a growing global conversation about women in shipping. Beyond simply increasing numbers, what must the industry do to ensure women occupy influential decision-making positions?

Numbers matter, but influence matters more. The industry must create transparent pathways into technical, operational and board-level roles, remove structural barriers in recruitment and promotion, and ensure that women who reach leadership are not isolated. Mentorship, sponsorship and visible role models are essential. Companies should examine whether their cultures reward only traditional leadership styles or also value collaborative, people-centred approaches that many women bring. Decision-making tables need the perspectives of those who understand both the bridge and the human factors that determine safety and performance. Representation without power is incomplete.

What are some of the invisible barriers that still prevent women from advancing into senior maritime positions?

Some barriers are subtle: assumptions about availability for long deployments or high-pressure roles, limited access to informal networks where opportunities are discussed, and evaluation criteria that favour visibility over sustained competence. Work-life structures that ignore caregiving realities can disadvantage women disproportionately. There can also be residual skepticism about women’s authority in technical or security-related decisions.

These barriers are rarely written into policy, yet they shape outcomes. Addressing them requires honest cultural diagnosis, data on promotion patterns, and leadership that actively interrupts bias rather than waiting for it to disappear.

Do you think women bring a different leadership perspective to maritime security, crew management and operational decision-making?

Leadership is individual, not gendered in a simplistic way. That said, many women in maritime bring strong attention to detail, collaborative problem-solving and a natural focus on the human consequences of operational decisions.

In security and crew management, that perspective can translate into more thorough risk communication, greater emphasis on welfare systems, and decisions that balance commercial pressure with the long-term sustainability of the workforce. Diverse leadership teams make better decisions because they consider a wider range of risks and impacts. The industry benefits when those perspectives sit at the table where policy and strategy are formed.

What would you say to a young African woman considering a career in shipping but worried that the industry is too difficult or too male-dominated?

The industry is demanding, and it remains male-dominated in many technical and leadership spaces. But it is also changing, and it needs capable people. If the work fascinates you—the scale of global trade, the responsibility of keeping vessels and crews safe, the opportunity to shape systems that matter—then prepare thoroughly, seek mentors, and refuse to let other people’s assumptions define your limits. Competence is the strongest currency.

You will face challenges, but you will also find purpose and the chance to open doors for those who follow. The ocean is vast; the space for women at the helm must become larger. Your presence will help make that happen.

What should governments, regulators, shipping companies and maritime institutions be doing differently to attract and retain more women?

They should move from statements of intent to measurable action. That includes targeted outreach into schools and maritime academies, scholarships and cadet programmes designed for women, family-friendly policies that do not penalize career progression, zero-tolerance cultures on harassment, and transparent reporting on gender representation at every level. Regulators can encourage or require diversity data.

Companies can set internal targets and hold leaders accountable. Institutions should update curricula and facilities to be genuinely inclusive. Retention is as important as attraction: women leave when the environment is hostile or when advancement is blocked. Fix the system, and talent will stay.

You have combined practical maritime experience with academic research. Why was it important for you to move beyond professional practice into research and authorship?

Practice shows you what works and what fails in real time. Research allows you to analyze patterns, test assumptions and offer recommendations that can influence policy and industry practice more broadly. My work on navigational safety and security in the Niger Delta, and on sustainable practices and safety protocols for global shipping, grew from seeing the gap between regulatory frameworks and the daily realities of crews and operators. Writing and publishing force clarity. They also create a platform to advocate for the human dimension of maritime operations—an area that still receives less attention than hardware and commercial metrics. Bridging practice and research strengthens both.

What gap in existing maritime thinking do you believe your research is trying to address?

The tendency to treat safety, security and sustainability as separate technical silos, while under-weighting the human factors that determines whether systems actually work.

In the Niger Delta, for example, navigational safety and security cannot be solved by technology alone; they require community engagement, regulatory effectiveness and realistic understanding of local threats.

Globally, the industry discusses decarburization and digitalization, yet the psychological and welfare pressures on seafarers in high-risk environments remain under-researched and under-resourced. My work seeks to keep the human being at the centre of maritime resilience.

How can African maritime professionals contribute more significantly to the global conversation on shipping, security and international trade?

By bringing evidence, operational insight and regional expertise into international forums rather than remaining on the periphery. African professionals understand the realities of piracy-prone waters, energy logistics, port challenges and the human capital constraints that many developing maritime nations face.

We must publish, speak, participate in standard-setting bodies and form partnerships that amplify African perspectives. Strengthening local research capacity, training institutions and industry associations will help. Global shipping depends on African waters and African seafarers; African voices should help shape the rules and priorities that govern those systems.

Nigeria is a major maritime nation with enormous economic potential. What are we getting right, and where are we falling behind?

Nigeria has strategic geography, significant energy resources and a large pool of maritime talent. Progress in certain regulatory and institutional areas, and growing awareness of the blue economy, are positive. Where we fall behind is consistent implementation, infrastructure reliability, the full integration of human capital development into strategy, and the ability to translate potential into secure, efficient operations that retain skilled professionals. Security challenges in critical waterways, administrative bottlenecks and under-investment in training and welfare systems limit performance. Closing those gaps would unlock far more of the economic potential we already possess.

What would a truly resilient Nigerian maritime sector look like five or ten years from now?

It would feature safer and more efficiently managed waterways, a well-trained and properly supported seafarer workforce, stronger local capacity in ship management and technical services, and policies that attract rather than deter investment. Security would be managed through coordinated, intelligence-led approaches that protect both commerce and coastal communities. Women would occupy a meaningful share of operational and leadership roles. Research and training institutions would produce graduates ready for modern threats and technologies. Most importantly, the sector would treat human capital as strategic infrastructure—investing in people with the same seriousness it invests in ports and vessels.

If you had the opportunity to sit with the CEOs of the world’s largest shipping companies, what single change would you ask them to make concerning seafarers?

Treat the welfare and psychological resilience of seafarers as a core commercial and safety metric, not a secondary compliance item. When you require crews to transit high-risk zones, match that requirement with world-class training, comprehensive welfare systems and unwavering shore side support. Measure and report on mental health outcomes, rest compliance and post-voyage recovery with the same rigour you apply to technical and financial KPIs. Seafarers carry world trade and carry the risks. The industry’s long-term resilience depends on recognizing that reality in board-level decisions.

Finally, what does leadership mean to you as a woman who has navigated the sea, the corporate environment and academia?

Leadership means accepting responsibility for outcomes that affect other people’s safety, dignity and opportunity. At sea it meant making decisions that protected the vessel and the crew. In corporate roles it means building systems that enable people to perform and grow. In research it means asking hard questions and offering practical recommendations. As a woman in a traditionally male industry, leadership also means using the platform you earn to widen the path for those who come after you. It is not about being the loudest voice in the room; it is about creating conditions in which others can succeed and the mission—safe, resilient global trade—can be sustained. The ocean may be vast, but the space for women at the helm must become even larger. That is both a personal commitment and a professional necessity.