Yu Jiajia, an instructor and teaching chief mate at Dalian Maritime University, has been selected as the recipient of the 2027 IMO Gender Equality Award, becoming the first Chinese national to receive the honour. Announced by the International Maritime Organization on 4 November 2026, the award recognises her achievements at sea and her work in helping more women develop maritime careers. She will receive the award at IMO headquarters in London on 18 May 2027.

Fourth recipient since the award began

The IMO Council endorsed Yu’s selection during its 138th session, held in London from 2 to 6 November 2026. Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez confirmed the decision in his closing remarks, saying he looked forward to presenting the award on the International Day for Women in Maritime. According to Dalian Maritime University, eight candidates were nominated by Member States for the 2027 award.

Established by the Council in 2022 and first presented in 2024, the IMO Gender Equality Award recognises individuals, regardless of gender, who have made significant contributions to gender equality and women’s empowerment in maritime. One medal recipient is selected each year, while other nominees may receive Letters of Commendation. Yu is the fourth recipient, following previous winners from Cyprus, the Netherlands and Japan.

Bringing seagoing experience into the classroom

Yu’s route to the bridge grew out of her work as a practical instructor. She studied communications engineering as an undergraduate and nautical science and technology at postgraduate level before joining Dalian Maritime University’s Navigation College in July 2010. Her responsibilities included teaching the use of navigational equipment. Seeking to connect those lessons more closely with shipboard operations, she undertook third-officer training, passed the required theoretical examinations and practical assessments, and completed seagoing cadet service.

On 5 September 2019, the Liaoning Maritime Safety Administration issued Yu a third officer’s certificate of competency for unlimited voyages. It was the first officer-level certificate of competency issued to a woman within the administration’s jurisdiction. The training and shipboard service gave her direct experience of the work her students were preparing to undertake, allowing her to bring practical knowledge of vessel operations and navigational watchkeeping into her teaching.

She continued to build her seagoing experience. IMO’s award announcement records more than 50 months of service at sea, progressing from cadet to third officer, second officer and teaching chief mate. She also holds a magnetic compass adjuster certificate and has carried out more than 50 compass adjustments and corrections.

Mentoring women through training and career choices

Yu’s support for other women was central to the recognition. According to IMO, she has conducted more than 100 individual career mentoring sessions for female students and encouraged women cadets to take active roles in bridge operations, lifesaving exercises and firefighting drills. Of approximately 3,000 students she has supervised aboard the ocean-going training ship Yu Kun, more than 1,000 have been women.

Her work at the university also includes teaching reform, professional textbook development and maritime education research. Dalian Maritime University’s account of the assessment highlights both her own success in overcoming barriers and her continuing efforts to share knowledge and guide other women. The panel recognised the lasting value of those contributions, extending beyond her individual career to help women pursue professional development and promotion across the sector.

Students are now serving as deck officers

Xinde Marine News previously reported on Yu’s experiences at the opening of Dalian’s Seafarer Culture Week in June 2026. Speaking as a representative of women seafarers, she emphasised that women possess the professional skills to work alongside men and fulfil the same shipboard responsibilities. The Navigation College’s account of the event noted that some of the female students she had guided were already serving on ocean-going vessels as third and second officers.

The wider industry still has considerable work to do. The IMO-WISTA Women in Maritime Survey 2024, published in 2025, found that women accounted for only around 1% of seafarers employed by the organisations surveyed. Its recommendations included stronger recruitment and retention initiatives, expanded mentoring and leadership development, and safe, supportive working environments.

Yu’s experience shows how teaching and professional guidance can connect with actual employment at sea. For maritime educators and shipowners, the continuing task is to link professional training with onboard placements, fair recruitment and opportunities to advance. Those connections give aspiring women seafarers a route from the classroom to a lasting career at sea.