International Day for Women in Maritime, observed on 18 May, recognises the contribution of women across the global maritime sector both at sea and ashore. The International Maritime Organization’s 2026 theme, “From Policy to Practice: Advancing Gender Equality for Maritime Excellence”, highlights the importance of practical participation and professional development across the industry.
The maritime and engineering sectors have traditionally been male-dominated industries, particularly within technical disciplines. At ICE Marine Design Group, women contribute across a broad range of engineering, design, project support and management functions supporting complex international marine and offshore projects.
Women currently represent 37% of ICEPRONAV Engineering SRL’s workforce, including 36% of engineering and design roles. Research published by the Society of Women Engineers reported that women represented just 28.2% of the global STEM workforce in 2024 and approximately 16.5% of the global engineering workforce.
ICEPRONAV Engineering SRL, based in Galați, Romania, is ICE Marine Design Group’s main engineering and design centre, with additional engineering resources located within the Group’s branch office in Split, Croatia.
The knowledge, technical capability and professional commitment of ICE’s employees are instrumental to the Group’s continued delivery of international ship design and offshore engineering projects.
When reflecting on career paths and professional development within the maritime sector, several female colleagues across ICE’s engineering departments highlighted recurring themes including continuous learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, practical engineering experience and long-term career development.
Madalina Dajbog from the Initial Design Department highlighted the multidisciplinary nature of naval architecture and the challenge of balancing stability, hydrodynamics, structural strength, efficiency and safety within a single design solution. She described naval architecture as a field that combines theoretical engineering with practical large-scale application, requiring both analytical thinking and creativity.
Within the Machinery & Piping Department, Principal Engineer Ionela Chiriac spoke about the importance of collaboration between engineering disciplines and her interest in pipe stress analysis, where engineers assess how systems behave under different operating conditions while identifying solutions that improve both safety and efficiency.
Monica Vasile from the Hull & Structure Department described first becoming interested in the maritime sector after attending a career fair before graduating from high school. Coming from a family with no previous connection to the industry, she saw marine engineering as both a challenge and an opportunity. At the time, it appeared to be a predominantly male-oriented field in which women were not often expected to excel, which motivated her even more to pursue this career path.
Over a 19-year career, she has contributed to concept, basic and detail design projects, each bringing different technical challenges and opportunities for professional growth.
In the Electrical & Automation Department, Junior Engineer Andreea Cristina Feodorov highlighted the importance of teamwork, adaptability and practical experience in developing technical understanding. She described maritime engineering as a rewarding sector because of its combination of innovation, continuous development and contribution to global transportation and trade.
Irina Boisan, Senior Engineer and Team Leader within the Outfitting & Deck Equipment Department, described how her role developed from internship engineer through to senior engineering and team leadership positions. She highlighted the importance of combining technical knowledge, production understanding, analytical thinking and communication skills while working across increasingly complex international projects.
The experiences shared by colleagues across ICEPRONAV reflect the broad range of disciplines involved in modern ship design and offshore engineering. They also demonstrate the importance of practical experience, collaboration and continuous professional development within a technically demanding global industry.
As ICE Marine Design Group marks International Day for Women in Maritime 2026, the Company recognises the contribution of women across its engineering and support teams and the important role women continue to play across the global maritime and engineering sectors. Their knowledge, experience and professional commitment remain an important part of the successful delivery of complex marine and offshore projects worldwide.
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