First female sea taxi captain on duty

ISTANBUL

The first female sea taxi captain has started her duty in public ferry services in Istanbul thanks to the ongoing efforts to provide opportunities and increase women's employment in maritime-related fields.

Buse Özge Özyılmaz, a 28-year-old who received training on many different technical subjects as well as on-site training for two months and succeeded in the exam, has started working as a sea taxi captain.

Though Özyılmaz initially intended to pursue a profession in graphic design, her love for the sea caused her to change her mind. As a result, she received a maritime certificate in 2019 and a captain's license in 2021.

“The fact that there was a female general manager at Şehir Hatları was one of the main reasons that attracted me here. I care deeply about women being active in every field of employment, and I am proud of my own journey. Being the first female captain on duty in Istanbul is, on the one hand, a great pleasure and, on the other hand, a great responsibility,” Özyılmaz told local media.

Sinem Dedetaş, general manager of Şehir Hatları, stated that they receive and evaluate job applications in a gender-neutral manner and also take merit into consideration.

“[Istanbul Mayor] Ekrem İmamoğlu's stance on opportunity and gender equality is also reflected in our work. Women, whose CVs were not even accepted before, are now working in many different units of our organization. When we compare 2019 with today, we see that there has been a significant increase in female employment within our constitution. In 2020, female seamen and oilers started to work for the first time, and today, the first female captain in the history of Şehir Hatları [City Lines] started her duty,” Dedetaş said.

Istanbul Municipality’s subsidiary Şehir Hatları currently employs a total of 19 female personnel working on ferries and sea taxis. The total increase in female employment between Aug. 2019 and May 2023 was 245 percent. In Sep. 2020, a female seafarer was employed for the first time, followed by a female oiler.