Columbia Group Calls for Disability Inclusivity in Maritime

Columbia Group, a leading ship and crew management services provider, is urging the maritime industry to look into how people with disabilities are assessed, supported, and given access to opportunities across the sector.

Shipping has made progress on diversity and the adoption of new technology. However, disability inclusion remains less developed than in many other industries.

Claudia Paschkewitz, Director of Sustainability, Diversity, and Inclusion at Columbia Group, pointed out that the industry needs to move beyond traditional assumptions about what people with disabilities can contribute, particularly in shore-based and technology-enabled roles.

In some cases, barriers can arise automatically, rather than through a fuller assessment of what a person is actually able to do, she explained.

The barriers can be reinforced by long-standing medical requirements, traditional views of maritime roles, and limited awareness of how workplace adjustments, digital tools, and assistive technology can widen access. Safety-critical onboard roles must always be treated with appropriate care and rigour.

However, many shore-based positions are not subject to the same operational constraints. This means that advances in digital tools, assistive technology, and more flexible working practices could open up a wider range of opportunities. Progress across the industry has been slow.

Address the Gaps

Paschketwiz said there is a perception that maritime is already inclusive because of its global workforce, but in reality, that is not the full picture, particularly when it comes to disability.

“We need to look more carefully at where barriers still exist and whether they are genuinely linked to safety and performance, or whether they reflect assumptions about how maritime roles have traditionally been viewed.

“As new technologies continue to change the nature of maritime work, the industry has an opportunity to think differently about skills, capability, and access to opportunity. One bias is assuming suitability for certain roles based on how things have traditionally been done. We need to break away from that. There is strength in diversity.

“Different people bring different strengths, and we will never be able to fully utilise those strengths if we do not first allow them to do so. If we want to challenge this, it must come from within the industry itself, starting with leadership and a focus on skills, fairness, and allowing everyone to grow.”

Christina Orfanidou, Head of AI at Columbia Group, believes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) must be embedded into company culture and technology implementation, rather than treated as a separate initiative.

“Technology, and AI in particular, can help us make better decisions for DEI by bringing more evidence into the process, prompting us to challenge assumptions and helping leaders see where barriers still exist.”

She highlighted that building AI responsibly and inclusively has been part of that approach from day one. “If we design for fairness upfront, we do not just comply. We widen opportunity and raise the bar for the whole industry.”

Source: seanews.uk