Celebrating International Day for Women in Maritime: Carnival Corporation Spotlights Captain Louise Sara
Getting skilled cadets, officers and engineers onboard is a top focus across the cruise industry. With seafarer labor shortages reaching a 17-year high,* Carnival Corporation is pursuing a variety of ways to increase its pipeline of talent. A big part of that effort is encouraging more women to consider a career at sea. While women still account for only a small percentage of the maritime workforce, their numbers are growing in part due to companies like Carnival Corporation focusing on increasing female shipboard representation across all ranks and departments.
This International Day for Women in Maritime, Carnival Corporation shone a spotlight on one of its very own leaders making big waves in this effort: Louise Sara, Fleet Captain and Director of Maritime Standards at Carnival Corporation.
A leader in maritime standards and safety, Louise is also a passionate advocate for women in the maritime industry. She helped establish and grow Carnival Corporation’s Women Officers Network (W.O.N.) to provide female maritime officers a way to connect, share knowledge and support each other across the company’s world-class cruise lines. Since its launch in 2023, the network has become a pivotal engagement platform for women officers – including deck, technical, environmental officers and cadets. The network helps members more readily connect with other maritime professionals in similar positions in the Carnival Corporation fleet to discuss everything from navigating career growth opportunities to balancing family commitments while building a career at sea.
Louise’s dedication to initiatives like the W.O.N. underscore Carnival Corporation’s proactive approach to cultivating a skilled, global maritime workforce representing all walks of life to fill the growing demand for maritime professionals worldwide.
*According to a 2024 report by Drewry, an independent maritime research and consulting service.
