One moment at the inaugural Saudi Maritime Awards in Jeddah at the end of January summed up a larger change taking place throughout the Gulf region: Narjis Haidar Almoosawi — who currently serves as the Acting CEO of the Bahrain Ship Repairing and Engineering Company (BASREC) — was recognised as the Leading Woman in Shipping. This acknowledgement was part of a gala with 29 categories that brought together some of the most influential figures within the maritime sector from across the Middle East and beyond, cementing a Bahraini leader on the regional maritime map.
The Saudi Maritime Awards ceremony took place at The Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah, and was staged to recognise excellence in various aspects of shipping, ports, logistics, shipbuilding, and maritime services, connecting the Awards to Saudi Arabia‘s Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to make the Kingdom a global logistics hub. The award organisers positioned them as an objectively judged platform to foster innovation, sustainability, and operational performance across the entire maritime sector. Thus, the significance of Almoosawi’s victory extends beyond being a personal achievement; it indicates a significant expansion of the maritime leadership landscape throughout the region.
It is also significant that Almoosawi has made her way up the ranks at BASREC; her formal office descriptions indicate she has senior-level executive responsibilities as well as experience in human capital and corporate services. Her rise through the company ultimately led to her being named the acting CEO of BASREC, which is in line with the succession plan put forth by the company. She has also been seen as a pioneer for women in Bahrain; previous awards that recognised her abilities as a leader acknowledged her as the first woman to hold specific governance positions at BASREC. Her career has combined the technical knowledge of governing a company with an emphasis on people and compliance with operations, HR, and governance. This combination of skills is exactly what maritime companies are looking for when they decide how to modernise and decarbonise.
Why is it important that an executive for a ship repair company won the “Leading Woman in Shipping” award? First of all, ship repair companies such as BASREC are essential parts of regional supply chains; if these companies maintain the conditions for tankers, cargo ships, and navy vessels to operate at sea, then they also assist in supporting the continued export of energy, trade, and regional security. Second, maritime management positions in the Gulf have traditionally been male-dominated; therefore, providing a tangible example of women executives in the industry will provide a means for changing the hiring and training processes to establish a greater number of female representatives in boardrooms. The ceremony that took place in Jeddah bestowed awards for a number of categories that ranged from “Port Operator of the Year” to “Sustainable Shipping” to bring visibility to the connections between the technical and governing elements of successful maritime leadership in a substantial manner.
There is an increasing prevalence of women’s recognition in global maritime awards programmes, with Narjis Almoosawi joining a growing number of women being honoured. Recognition of women in different areas of maritime employment through various means, e.g., the IMO recognition of gender equality and lists highlighting some of the many outstanding women in shipping, are all examples of similar promotional efforts to create a role model pattern for women, to draw young people into the various industry-related careers such as naval architecture, marine engineering and logistics, and ultimately pressure employers to remove barriers to diversity that have been in place.
Overall, Narjis Almoosawi’s award is both a professional milestone mark and also a cultural signifier — signalling that not just steel and berths will build maritime resilience in the Gulf but rather diverse leadership that can combine technical expertise with people-orientated governance. In light of modernising ports and converting shipyards to more environmentally friendly practices, these are the types of leaders, such as Narjis Almoosawi, that the maritime industry will need to drive growth and success in the future, as well as events such as the gala held in Jeddah, that serve as a reminder of the importance of these leaders in the maritime industry.
