The Brazilian Institute of Oil, Gas and Biofuels (IBP) celebrates, on May 18, International Women at Sea Day, a date dedicated to recognizing women's contribution to maritime and offshore activities and to the energy industry. The date reinforces the importance of expanding women's presence in technical, operational, and leadership roles in a sector historically marked by male predominance.

As part of this commitment, IBP develops initiatives such as "O Mar Também é Delas" (The Sea Belongs to Them Too), a project aimed at strengthening gender equity in the offshore environment and making maritime operations more welcoming, safe, and accessible for women. The initiative brings together the Institute and companies in the sector in an agenda of dialogue, mobilization, and commitment-building to expand female representation onboard platforms, vessels, and other activities related to the oil, gas, and energy industry.

The project is carried out in partnership with Equinor, Ocyan, Petrobras, Shell, SLB, Subsea7, TechnipFMC, and TotalEnergies, companies that participate in the collective construction of actions focused on active listening, leadership development, professional recognition, and the creation of more inclusive offshore environments.

Among the notable actions is an event in honor of the special date, held this Monday, bringing together energy industry professionals to debate challenges, achievements, and opportunities for women in the offshore environment, reinforcing the sector's commitment to valuing and empowering women in maritime activities.

Another milestone within the context of the "O Mar Também é Delas" project is the Offshore Gender Equity Pact, launched and signed during OTC Brasil 2025. The document consolidated the companies' institutional commitment to promoting a more inclusive offshore environment and was structured to turn diagnoses into concrete actions, encouraging leaders and professionals to advance on issues such as representation, safety, infrastructure, inclusive culture, and combating conscious and unconscious biases.

For Claudia Rabello, IBP's corporate executive director, International Women at Sea Day is an opportunity to recognize trajectories and reinforce that diversity is part of the industry's evolution. "Valuing women who work offshore means recognizing professionals who go the extra mile, proving that women are capable of being wherever they want in the sector's activities. By driving initiatives like 'The Sea Belongs to Them Too,' IBP seeks to expand dialogue, strengthen collective commitments, and contribute to a more diverse, inclusive industry prepared for the challenges of the future," she states.

Professional growth

Equinor production operator Samara Muniz highlights that offshore represented an opportunity for professional growth and autonomy. "Working offshore has always been a dream for me. It is gratifying to be in a challenging environment, being part of global energy production. The presence of women onboard has grown, as have opportunities in leadership positions, but we are still a minority and this space needs to advance even further," she says.

Equinor's Marine Supervisor in Brazil, Marítiza Wanzeler, also reinforces the importance of technical preparation and diversity in the offshore environment. "Competence is not defined by gender. What makes the difference are skills, acquired knowledge, technical robustness, and emotional balance to make decisions in highly complex environments," she concludes.

Women's trajectories offshore

The date also highlights the stories of professionals who have been helping to transform the culture and routine of the offshore sector. Although the presence of women onboard has advanced in recent years, challenges related to equal opportunities, career development, and the occupation of technical and leadership positions still persist.

Larissa Verly, from SLB, a mechanical engineer with a focus on oil and gas, began her career at a service provider in the sector and worked for an international operator before joining SLB as an MWD, a technical role related to well drilling. Throughout her career, she transitioned to Directional Driller, a move still less common among women in the operational environment, and is now advancing to the office operations area as a Drilling Engineer. "I am very proud to have been, within my company, one of the women who made this transition to Directional Driller. And it was even more special to see other women starting to follow the same path afterwards. This shows that representation really matters," she states.

Engineer Nathalia Monteiro, from Shell, says her offshore career began early on, at a producing asset in its final project and decommissioning phase, an experience that allowed her to closely follow different aspects of operations. For her, the presence of women onboard has helped broaden perspectives and make the environment more open to new ideas. "As an oil and gas engineer, I was always interested in experiencing this environment up close, understanding the technical and personal challenges of those who go onboard, and contributing to the area with hands-on work. Today I see greater normalization of women's presence in the sector, with structures and teams more prepared to receive women onboard," she states.

Also a Shell engineer, Laura Ribeiro began her career at the company in 2012 as a graduate, supporting the Production team from the office. In 2016, she became the third woman at Shell Brazil to hold the position of Shell Production Engineer Representative on the FPSO Fluminense, working shifts of 14 days on / 14 days off. Laura highlights that representation is an essential step in opening space for other women in offshore. "The challenge and opportunity to pave the way for more women to have space offshore have always motivated me. Don't limit yourselves by others' beliefs, pursue your dreams and seek to be happy in what you do. With excellence and credibility, you will earn your space and can help break prejudices wherever you are," she says.

Engineer Mariana Basílio, from Shell, says she dreamed of going onboard since her Chemical Engineering undergraduate studies, motivated by the opportunity to see engineering "come to life and turn into energy." At the company since 2008, she began her career in conceptual projects and had her first offshore experience the following year, on the FPSO Fluminense. Since then, she has advanced into roles with frequent offshore assignments and considers this experience the foundation of her knowledge about the industry. "When I started, I was the only woman in the technical area among more than 100 people. Today I see tremendous progress, with more women in operational roles, but we still have to prove all the time that we belong in this space. Offshore needs the talent, courage, and vision of women who dare to go further," she states.

International Women at Sea Day is also an opportunity to recognize trajectories like that of Taiane Souza da Fonseca, platform manager at Petrobras, who began her offshore journey in 2016 and experienced firsthand the challenges of occupying a historically male environment. From poorly adapted structures — such as inadequate PPE and limited female cabin accommodations — to the need to assert her belonging without giving up her identity, Taiane highlights that the sector has been undergoing important changes. Whereas she once boarded with only one other woman on the unit, she recently celebrated the presence of 18 other professionals onboard, now working in areas such as operations, maintenance, painting, boilermaking, ballast, and leadership. For her, the female presence has transformed offshore culture by expanding the dialogue on respect, inclusion, and combating harassment, reinforcing that "the place does not need to mold women, but together we can mold the place."

For Natalia Aparecida Dias, Platform Manager at Petrobras on the P-76 in Búzios, the female presence offshore has advanced consistently, although challenges remain in a historically male environment. With 13 years in the sector, she says the offshore routine requires commitment, adaptability, and passion for operations. "Every woman who occupies this space helps open doors and make the environment more accessible for future generations. We advance not only for ourselves but also so that other girls and women find a more diverse, respectful future full of opportunities within the offshore sector," she highlights.

For Dedima Oliveira, Operations Coordinator at Petrobras on Platform PRA-1, in the Campos Basin, expanding the female presence offshore is essential to make the environment more diverse, welcoming, and representative. With nearly 16 years of offshore experience, she recalls that she began her journey driven by curiosity to understand, in practice, the operation of machinery and equipment for offshore oil production, and assesses that the sector has advanced in recent years, with more women occupying different roles and greater attention to inclusion already in the design of new platforms. "When representation is low, we cannot see ourselves or even dream of occupying a certain position because we have no references there. But when we have a woman in a certain leadership position, it's like a mirror," she states. According to her, working offshore requires resilience, courage, and purpose, but it is a completely achievable path for women who wish to build a career in the sector.

For more information, visit the "O Mar Também É Delas." page.