The Clúster Marítimo-Marino de Andalucía in a project to strengthen the role of women in the blue economy

The ultimate goal of this project is to provide an accurate data set on the role of women in the blue economy in the six EU sea basins (Atlantic, Mediterranean, Baltic, Northern, Arctic and Black Sea).

The CMMA is the only Spanish organisation that participates in this program funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). The project has 14 partners from nine countries: the Universities of Aveiro and Nova de Lisboa, the Associaçao Nacional para Os Biorecursos Marinhos e Biotecnologia Azul, Business as Nature and Forum Oceano‑Associaçao da Economia do Mar (Portugal), Geonardo Environmental Technologies LTD (Hungary), s.Pro-Sustainable Projects GMBH (Germany), University of Galway and Marine Institute (Ireland), University of Ghent (Belgium), Stichting Women4Oceans (Netherlands), Federazione del Mare (Italy), AKP As (Norway) and the CMMA.

WIN-BIG will hold three events in the European Union: one of them will be held in Rome (Italy), focused on the Mediterranean basin, the second in Berlin (Germany), focused on the Baltic basin, and the CMMA will organise the third in Andalusia during 2026, specialised in the Atlantic basin. It will be a reference event in which, with associations, entities, companies and public representatives with competencies in the maritime field, a joint reflection will be carried out on the role of women in the different sectors of the blue economy, as well as how to establish recommendations to promote their presence in the different professions of the sea, also promoting the visibility of leading women who hold decision-making positions and with great responsibility in the Andalusian blue growth.

Professional profiles

At the event, networking meetings will be held so that participants can exchange knowledge and experiences related to all blue professional profiles: CEOs of maritime-marine companies, entrepreneurs, fisherwomen, members of the Merchant Navy, the Navy, Maritime Rescue or from the cruise sector, researchers in the field of blue biotechnology or aquaculture, engineers specialised in shipbuilding and its auxiliary industries, underwater archaeologists, captains of yachts or blue tourism and/or recreational boats, marine biologists, environmentalists, etc.

As explained by the president of the CMMA, Javier Noriega, “Many of these women are entrepreneurs and CEOs of their own companies, true leaders in the sector who have paved the way."

In addition, the CMMA will define the content of the program for the three events with the participation of the partners in this project, as well as the target audience, preparing the relevant reports and disseminating them to the public so that they can join this challenge. Visibility and communication in this project are essential.

Finally, a sweep is being made to find out how many public or private studies or investigations have been carried out in Andalusia and Spain on women and the blue economy, gathering their conclusions and sharing them with partners as a basis for determining what recommendations must be made and what measures have to be taken. Among other objectives, the realisation of an acceleration program and a targeted network of mentors is proposed, together with the creation of networks between the various maritime basins and employment events in order to multiply the achievements.

Gender equality in the blue economy

Therefore, it is a program that has among its main purposes the following: promotion of gender equality in the blue economy, training women in the blue economy, providing accurate data and gender perspectives in the six maritime basins of the EU, identify skills gaps that prevent women from accessing or progressing in blue professions and provide practical measures and policy recommendations that can be applied in all countries and regions to promote gender equality and inclusion; and lastly, to inspire and empower other women to join or progress in blue careers.

This project pays special attention to the bioeconomy, blue sports and sustainable tourism, marine renewable energies and robotics and seeks to detect new professional trends in all these fields. The CMMA has a women's committee in order to promote the role of entrepreneurs and their maritime-marine projects in Andalusia and throughout the country.

Original article published on Naucher Global in Spanish