Steamships Ship Management and Australia Awards PNG Renew Commitment to Women in Maritime
14 July 2026
Image: Irma Rua, Pacific Towing Cadet
Steamships Ship Management (SSM) is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tetra Tech Development Pty Ltd, delivery partner of the Australia Awards PNG Program, reaffirming a long-standing commitment to creating maritime career pathways for Papua New Guinean (PNG) women.
The agreement supports the continuation of the Women in Maritime (WiM) Scholarship Program, providing women with access to maritime education, sea-time training and professional development opportunities that lead to internationally recognized maritime qualifications.
The scholarships fund coursework at the PNG Maritime College, together with participant stipends, travel and insurance support.
Under the partnership, SSM will provide structured sea-time training placements, onboard supervision and mentoring support for up to ten women annually pursuing Officer of the Watch (Deck) and Officer of the Watch (Engine) qualifications.
The MOU represents the next chapter of a partnership first established in 2018 by Pacific Towing (PacTow), which launched one of PNG’s pioneering female maritime cadetship programs. The initiative reflected PacTow’s ongoing commitment to advancing gender equality, workforce diversity and the development of highly skilled PNG seafarers.
Since its inception, more than 50 PNG women have benefited from the scholarship program, accelerating their careers through deck and engine cadetships and helping address the underrepresentation of women across the maritime sector.
SSM combines the ship management activities previously undertaken by PacTow and Consort Express Lines, both operating within Steamships Logistics Division. While the current agreement is signed by SSM, it continues the legacy and achievements of the PacTow partnership established in 2018.
“The maritime industry plays a vital role in PNG’s economy and developing skilled national seafarers is critical to its future,” said Nicholas Fisher, Executive Advisor Marine Fleet & Investments, Steamships Logistics Division.
“This partnership gives young PNG women real hands-on experience at sea and a genuine pathway into careers that have too often been closed to them. We are proud to continue the work that began under PacTow and open our vessels and our expertise to support the next generation of PNG seafarers. We thank the Australian Government for its ongoing investment in the Australia Awards Program, which enables partnerships that strengthen PNG’s maritime workforce.”
Beyond scholarship support, PacTow and Steamships have continued to invest in initiatives that foster a more inclusive maritime industry. These include cadetship and mentoring programs, leadership development opportunities, workplace policies promoting gender equity, anti-sexual harassment and family and sexual violence training, and support services that help create safer and more inclusive workplaces.
The initiative contributes to addressing critical workforce needs within PNG's maritime sector while creating greater opportunities for women to pursue rewarding careers at sea and ashore.
The MOU took effect on 8 July 2026 and will run until 30 June 2027, with the partnership governed by a join steering committee that will meet quarterly to oversee progress, share learnings and identify further opportunities for collaboration.