2016 International women's day

Each year, organized under the aegis of the UN, international women’s day is the occasion to celebrate women’s role in society, on a personal and professional level. BOURBON joins this very special day by paying tribute to its female employees who, everywhere in the world, onshore or onboard its vessels are daily committed to operational excellence and the clients satisfaction. Testimonies.

Lay Ying, master

"When I took up my position, I detected a sense of surprise among the crew. They were timid and didn’t know how to behave with me. But over time, things returned to normal and everything is now fine. If anyone has a negative opinion about women working on board vessels, I prove to them that I can do the job as well as any man. I don’t hide. I just show that it is irrelevant whether it is a man or a woman doing the job. Many women believe that they have no chance of succeeding in this sector because they receive so little encouragement. We have to make sure that we have people around us who will encourage us and believe in us. But the most important thing is that we believe in ourselves."

Lamia Ramou, crew coordinator

"Being a sea lover, I have always been fascinated by ships and this was one of the reasons why I have joined BOURBON. As crew coordinator for the Subsea fleet, I focus on successful placement and coordination of seafarers as well as project crew such as crane operators and deck foreman’s for various clients to whom we provide Subsea vessels. My role consists in providing quality crew that match the client’s requirements and comply with MLC 2006 and STCW Convention in respect of the regional regulations of vessels operating areas. I like the interaction and the communication with seafarers and learning something new every day. As we operate in various countries and with many clients, the challenges vary from a project to another."

Thérèse Guilbaud, Surfer pilot

"When I first started, clients were extremely surprised to see a woman working as a pilot. Some of them took photos of me, it was quite amusing. And now that the novelty has worn off, we each go about our work and everything operates normally. Relationships depend more on people’s personality than on their sex. And then it seems that having a woman around in this almost exclusively male environment is actually seen as having a calming effect."

Guadalupe Zuñiga, third mate

"I decided to be marine because of this passion born in my heart since I was little and represents a real challenge for me as a woman to prove who I am. This decision has given me complete satisfaction to improve my skills and to get continuous progress which is totally different working when ashore. Each time on board becomes a lifetime adventure. My main challenge is to continue my life at sea, gather as many experiences as possible, which make me feel competitive and up to date in order to get good skills in the field of positioning and pollution control. My best memories since I started working for BOURBON are when I am on board AHTS Bourbon Alienor; and the first time I learnt oil recovery operations with different barriers and skimmers. I just feel proud of myself to be part of the vessel operations."

Anne-Laure Comte, Managing Director

"I first learned about the job in a magazine for students. The romantic notion of a sea-faring career, the very broad-based training and the dynamism of the maritime sector made me want to find out more. I joined the National Merchant Navy School in Marseille (France) on a 6-year course: 4 years study and 2 years at sea. I started out as a deck officer and then, after 2 years, moved to the engine department where I worked as 3^rd and then 2^nd engineer, and finally chief engineer on BOURBON’s PSVs. I enjoyed the team spirit and solidarity which exist among seafarers, the responsibilities which are important as safety is a constant concern, the sense of freedom it gave me and the resourcefulness required to resolve certain problems. I spent 8 years at sea before returning to work onshore."