In-depth exploration of challenges faced by women in the Turkish maritime industry: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Women are underrepresented in the maritime industry compared to men. This sector continues to perpetuate gender discrimination and stereotypes, often overlooking women's physical competence. OBJECTIVE: To explore the multi-faceted challenges faced by Turkish female officers, unveiling the different dimensions of these challenges, and providing a comprehensive understanding of their experiences. METHODS: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 Turkish female officers actively working on seagoing vessels. The data were analyzed using MAXQDA software. RESULTS: The challenges faced by female officers were examined using content analysis. A total of 50 different codes were identified within 10 categories. The categories are gender inequality, violence, restriction of freedom, work-family conflict, mental health, physical differences, unsafe living space, insufficient communication with management, lack of psychometric testing and limited access to health services. CONCLUSION: By shedding light on the unique obstacles faced by female officers in Turkey, this study enhances our understanding of the underlying challenges and lays the groundwork for the implementation of effective policies and practices that promote the empowerment of women in the maritime industry.

A quantitative study on the mental health of Turkish seafarers.

Physically and mentally healthy seafarers with professional knowledge and skills are needed for maritime transportation to be safe and sustainable. Mental problems experienced by seafarers can lead to negative consequences, such as bullying, substance dependency, assault, murder and suicide. Accordingly, this study examined the effects of differences between the socio-demographic characteristics of Turkish seafarers on their depression, which is an important criterion for determining mental disorders. Data collected from 403 participants through quantitative research methods were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 and AMOS version 23.0. Although periodic physical and mental health checks are performed on seafarers, it was found from the analysis results that 33.2% of Turkish seafarers experience mental issues. Moreover, the study determined that the socio-demographic characteristics of seafarers made some differences in their depression levels.

Investigation of empty container shortage based on SWARA-ARAS methods in the COVID-19 era.

A shortage of empty containers has become a global crisis with more devastating effects than during previous periods when combined with various problems arising from the COVID-19, such as an increase in an imbalance of global trade between supply and demand, a decrease in the workforce, and restrictions by countries or regional quarantine practices. The absence of empty containers in regions where they are needed slows down industrial activities and locks the global supply networks, necessitating the use of alternative methods that are inefficient. Although this shortage causes many disruptions in global trade, solutions to the issue have not been studied in detail. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the issues caused by the shortage of empty containers and to rank the appropriate solutions. Four main criteria and sixteen subcategories used to define the issues, as well as a multi criteria decision model comprising five criteria for the solutions, were proposed based on information from the literature, sectorial publications, and expert opinions. The issues' weighted order of importance in our proposed model was calculated using the SWARA (Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis) method; solutions were ranked using the ARAS (Additive Ratio Assessment) method. The results of the study revealed that the issues were ranked in importance as cost increases, uncertainty in the supply chain, volume loss, and increases in blank sailing announcements. Appropriate solutions were ranked as booking guarantee applications and information communication technologies, using shipper-owned containers, inducement calls, and E2E (end to end) delivery services.