Hafnia Wins Safety4Sea Award for Enhanced Maternity Policy

Hafnia, one of the world's largest operators of product and chemical tankers, has been recognized by SAFETY4SEA’s 8th Annual Awards in the “Initiatives Award” category for its enhanced maternity policy for seafarers – launched in 2022. The Initiatives Award is made annually to an organization or association that has sparked, realized, or significantly contributed to any initiative that fosters safer or more sustainable shipping.

In line with creating and being a “People-First” diverse, and inclusive environment across their offices and at sea – and in being a responsible business – Hafnia officially implemented paid maternity leave for female seafarers in 2022. The policy was implemented to improve industry standards, where paid leave across the board is generally not offered for team members classified as contract workers.

The enhanced maternity policy includes up to 18 weeks of paid maternity leave and underlines their commitment to support the continuation of an at-sea career.

“The women we work with at sea are truly remarkable and should all feel valued and fairly treated especially when it comes to family planning,” commented Shivas Kapoor, GM, Hafnia’s head of crewing.  Family planning measures are also imperative if we want to further enhance our ambitions of attracting and retaining top female talent onboard, hence fostering a more sustainable, diverse, and inclusive culture.”

“The maternity policy introduction was a necessary and crucial step to take for Hafnia on our pathway to becoming more gender inclusive when it comes to our seafarers,” said Mikkel Boesen, vice president and head of the TECOS fleet.

The maternity policy for female seafarers was rolled out across all Hafnia vessels in October 2022.

Hafnia operates over 200 vessels, offering a fully integrated shipping platform, including technical management, commercial and chartering services, pool management, and a large-scale bunker desk.