2026 Events to Support the #WomenInSAR initiative

In 2026, we are again planning several events to support the #WomeninSAR initiative. 

The IMRF #WomenInSAR Mentoring Scheme matches women mentors and mentees from the maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) sector. There are two rounds a year and each round will last for 6 months.

In August, we are running the fourth #WomeninSAR training. After two successful courses in Finland and one in Australia, we are now taking the training to the Netherlands. The training is aimed specifically for female coxswains or those training to become one. It is hosted by KNRM, 27-30 August 2026. Registration is now open at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/womeninsar2026. Please send your application by March 31, 2026. 

Our 2022, 2024 and 2025 training events sold out and you can read write ups of them here.

What is the #WomenInSAR initiative?

According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the current huge gender gap in the maritime sector is well-documented as “women represent only two percent of the world’s 1.2 million seafarers”. Although there is currently no hard data on maritime SAR, all available anecdotal evidence suggests that the position is no different: women are greatly under-represented across maritime SAR, in both volunteer and paid positions. 

In a bid to address this, the IMRF launched its #WomenInSAR initiative in June 2019 at that year's World Maritime Rescue Congress in Canada. The IMRF has run five #WomeninSAR trainings, three mentoring rounds so far, conducted two surveys to understand gaps in the sector and launched guidance on how to increase representation of women in  the maritime sector. 

This project aims to increase the representation of women in the maritime sector generally and to provide support for, and raise the profile of, women in the maritime SAR sector specifically. This IMRF initiative supports the IMO's Empowering Women in Maritime initiative.

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Want to know more?

The IMRF is committed to bringing new stories and information about the impact of women in maritime SAR to our members and the SAR community. If you have any questions and/or would like any further information or to assist us with our #WomenInSAR initiative, please contact Jaakko Heikkila at [email protected].

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