Breaking the mouldSinÉad Reen,Master Mariner

Breaking the Mould

Blind to SeaShipping? You mean ferries? Never heard of it

What is the Merchant Navy?

Life at sea- what did I do?Navigator- drive the shipCompany repCommunicationsWeather watchSupervise the cargoSupervise stability of the vesselEnvironmental protectionSecurity officerFiremanMedical officerMaintenanceComrade

The threats

The trials ashore

• Positive discrimination• Family ties closer

The trials at sea

Trials at sea

The future? Sinéad Reen, Master Mariner

Thank you

The future• Pregnancy no longer a show stopper• Female intake steady at 5%- not including ferry catering/ entertainment staff• We are gaining equal stsus. Masters ticket 2001- they are coming now- and

first generation to come ashore and start to get equal status.• The future at sea is there, the mould is broken- I believe the barriers are still

there, but are reducing in size. • Flick through slides of Catriona Dowling, Georgins, Deirdre lane, Kim , myself-

next generation, Melissa, Anna Louise barron, Leanne bachelor, Sinead reynolds, This is not an obituary- we are continuing to make waves and equality slowly coming about. We even have a symposium to celebrate women and the sea.

• No age barriers• No wage barriers• Equal medical barriers

• “taking our seabed area into account, Ireland is one of the largest EU states; with sovereign or exclusive rights over one of the largest sea to land ratios (over 10:1) of any EU State. Our coastline of 7,500km is longer than that of many European countries. Yet we see the land as the primary provider of our food and fuel, and often overlook our ocean wealth. Our ocean is a national asset, supporting a diverse economy, with vast potential to tap into the global marine market for seafood, tourism, energy, and new applications for health, medicine and technology.

• Harnessing our ocean wealth

• What is it we do at sea?

• Multi tasking- skill sets- • Fireman, navigator, cargo work, fixing things, making fun, medical, • Friend, comrade, company representative, environment protection, communicator, security,

• See slide 9- where are all the navigators/engineer/ electricians/ ab’s • We’re not on the roads or motorways- you can’t see us- only hear when things go wrong- oil spill. Where did you fried

come from, where did your apples come from, where did the fuel for your car or the airplane come from? We are an island• You will hear abt rescues of refugees- the ICS reckons merchant vessels have saved 10,000 lives- the cs caprice- the threat

that lies there- we don’t have resources- like the loaves and fishes.• Security threats- what did we have- guys dressed up in boiler suits and fire hoses.• Razor wire, danger money?- no

• That is what I did at sea

Summarise/So what have I achieved?I would like to think that I have helped pave the way for others that have come behind me ad in some way break the mouldHow can I SAY THAT with certainty?For I am the the first female irish master mariner, and indeed the first fmeale president of IIMM

And for thpse abt to qualify- my studnets- 5- WORKING FOR bp, Chevron, etc- no longer considered a burden but a high value asset-

• Spot the difference with this pic- the only diference Isee with this is that Ihave morehair.