Marking World Maritime Day, P&O Cruises today saluted international seafarers including the cruise line’s public face of the celebration, Pacific Explorer Second Officer Amy Templeton.
P&O Cruises President Sture Myrmell said the International Maritime Organisation’s World Maritime Day was an opportunity to say thank you to the thousands of seafarers who work on P&O ships ensuring guests can enjoy safe and spectacular cruise holidays.
“World Maritime Day’s theme this year is gender equality and empowering women in the maritime community. We are proud that so many women play such a big part in delivering our onboard product and cruise experiences for our guests,” Mr Myrmell said.
“They really are the backbone of our cruise line and we salute their contribution and that of all of our seafarers.”
Amy Templeton has worked at sea for eight years and is one of an increasing number of female deck officers working on oceangoing vessels.
Seafaring and salt air run in her family – her father, Barry, was a deck officer on tankers before becoming a land-based firefighter and her younger brother, Aidan, is an engineer with one of P&O’s sister cruise lines.
Hailing from Sunderland in England’s north-east, Amy has been a seafarer since she was 18 years old when she became a newly minted officer cadet.
Amy shelved plans to study history at university after accompanying her brother to a shipping career open day where both became hooked on going to sea.
Only two per cent of world shipping deck officers are currently women but Amy doesn’t find it unusual to be working on the bridge of a cruise ship.
“When people mention that it is good to see a female on the bridge, it is not something that I see as strange. It is just something that I fancied doing and I did it,” Amy said.
Whether it’s on land or at sea, Amy does nothing by half measures. She is a former lifeguard, a karate expert with a black belt and a semi-professional boxer back home in England with ambitions of winning a title in her weight division.
When she is not at sea? “I catch up with friends and spend time with my two cats because I miss them. And I’m normally itching to get back in the boxing ring to get into training again.”
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