Green Marine (UK) appoints female Shipmaster Nicola Williams

Maritime services company Green Marine (UK) has appointed female Shipmaster Nicola Williams to its workboat crewing division.

The news comes after celebrations were recently held around the globe to mark the IMOs’ International Day for Women in Maritime.

South African native Nicola was appointed skipper of the Damen 2610 Twin Axe crew transfer vessel – Green Storm – carrying out transfers across the UK and Europe. She has experience operating workboat vessels across UK windfarms since 2016, alongside positions supporting seafarer charities including Lyme Regis Sea School and the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution).

Green Marine offers a comprehensive fleet of workboats, crew transfer vessels, heavy lift and transportation barges. Key services delivered by company vessels include crew transfers, offshore site surveys, cable installation and recovery, mooring installation and recovery, buoyage installation, towage and salvage. Green Marine also offers a broad range of marine engineering services through a highly qualified team of naval architects, project engineers, structural engineers and draughtsmen.

“It’s an exciting time to be part of Green Marine,” said Nicola. “There’s a feeling of real momentum as the firm ramps up vessel supply and services to support the UK’s rapidly expanding offshore renewables sector. We have the world’s second-largest installed offshore wind capacity on our doorstep. I’ve practically circumnavigated the UK servicing these windfarms, in a variety of workboat vessels, so it’s been enjoyable using this experience to support Green Marine’s projects.”

Most recently supporting the NNG (Neart Na Gaoithe) offshore wind farm – which is under construction in the outer Firth of Forth, 30 kilometres north of Torness – Nicola made regular trips from the port in Burntisland. Key responsibilities alongside client relations include managing safety of crew and passengers, vessel upkeep and certifications.

According to the BIMCO/ICS 2021 Seafarer Workforce Report, women represent just 1.2% percent of the global seafarer workforce. The report estimated 24,059 women serving as seafarers – a 45.8% increase compared with the 2015 report.

“Certain firms are averse to hiring female crew members because they’re afraid it will change the dynamic of the operation,” added Nicola. “From a workboat perspective, I’ve only ever met one other female skipper. Thankfully, the industry is evolving and companies like Green Marine are demonstrating the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.”

Green Marine Managing Director Jason Schofield said a concerted effort is required to help the industry move forward and support women achieve representation in keeping with twenty-first century expectations.

“Green Marine was established with more than 150 years of real sea time experience. However, it is essential we continue building on this foundation, bringing in new talent across crewing and engineering divisions, to capitalise on future opportunities. Green Marine is on a steep growth trajectory paired with government plans to more than triple installed offshore wind capacity by 2030.”

In the last 12 months Green Marine has supported a range of clients including Marine Scotland, Wood PLC, MMS Offshore, Floatation Energy, 23 Degrees Renewables, Partrac, Fugro, Briggs Marine, Openreach (BT) and Rocksalt Subsea.

Project work has spanned across the world’s largest offshore windfarm, Dogger Bank, off the coast of Yorkshire, and the world’s largest floating offshore windfarm, Kincardine, near Aberdeen. Further projects have involved Moray East in the North Sea, Triton Knoll off the Lincolnshire coast and Greater Gabbard near Suffolk. In addition, Green Marine has supported a number of offshore windfarm sites currently under construction and development, including the Neart Na Gaoithe, West of Orkney, Inch Cape, MachairWind, Caledonia, Muir Mhòr, Pentland, and Salamander.

Chartering its specialist vessels, the firm has provided support with crew transfers, dive operations, surveying and fishery liaison services as well as recovery, maintenance and redeployment of acoustic recording devices, buoys, ACDP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers) and FLiDAR devices.

For more information contact Green Marine on [email protected] www.greenmarineuk.com
Source: Green Marine (UK) Ltd