About the association.

Women in Maritime (WIMA) Europe is a non-commercial membership association working to advance the participation, professional development and leadership of women across the maritime, port and logistics sectors of Europe and the Black Sea region. We exist to close a persistent gap: women remain significantly under-represented across these sectors, and especially in management and seagoing roles, even as the industry undergoes a far-reaching green and digital transition.

WIMA Europe gives women a platform for visibility, professional growth, mentorship and cooperation — and connects the European maritime community to the global Women in Maritime family. We pursue this not only as a matter of equality, but as a practical foundation for a skilled, modern and future-ready workforce. As a non-commercial association, we work to support and complement the maritime organisations already active in the region rather than duplicate them, cooperating to bring more women into the sector.

WIMA Europe was established as a non-commercial legal entity registered in Poti, Georgia, on 27 January 2026, and is the first Women in Maritime association of its kind in Europe. The Association was founded with the support of the UNDP “Greening the Future” Programme, which identified the under-representation of women in maritime and logistics as a structural challenge in the climate-vulnerable port regions of the Middle Corridor linking Europe and Asia.

Our mandate is to ensure that women are represented, supported and able to exercise influence at every level of the sector — at sea and ashore, from entry-level roles through to senior leadership. We deliver on this mandate through five areas of work: advocacy and representation in policy and decision-making; professional development through mentoring, training and scholarships; knowledge, research and visibility to strengthen the regional evidence base and raise the profile of women as leaders and experts; membership services supported by a growing network of national chapters and focal points; and partnerships and resource mobilisation to sustain our work over the long term. Guided by our commitments to gender equality and inclusivity, professional excellence, environmental responsibility, regional solidarity, and transparent and fair governance, we work to build a credible, well-governed and financially sustainable association for the region.

Since 1988, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has supported the creation of regional Women in Maritime Associations to advance the integration of women in the sector. Eight regional WIMAs have been established to date — spanning the Pacific, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Arab States and Latin America. WIMA Europe is positioned to become the ninth regional WIMA, and the first in Europe, filling a clear geographic gap and linking the European maritime policy system to the wider global Women in Maritime community.

Our work is aligned with the IMO Women in Maritime programme and its Global Strategy for IMO Women in Maritime Associations 2024–2029. WIMA Europe's seven strategic objectives mirror the seven objectives of the IMO Global Strategy, and we follow the same action-plan format and two-year review cycle, so that our priorities move in step with the global framework and our partners. Beyond the IMO, we align our efforts with the UN Sustainable Development Goals — in particular SDG 5 on gender equality — and with European priorities including the European Green Deal and the Trans-European Transport Network. By anchoring our objectives in these shared frameworks, and cooperating with partners such as the IMO, WISTA International, ports, academies and UNDP, WIMA Europe ensures its work strengthens, rather than fragments, the global movement for women in maritime.