The launch of WISTA Portugal was announced today by Ana Paula Vitorino, Portugal’s Minister of the Sea at Portugal Shipping.  WISTA Portugal joins 44 other National WISTA Associations (NWAs).

“WISTA International has had a strong relationship with Portugal’s women in shipping,” said WISTA International President Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou. “We are proud to formally include Portugal in the WISTA family. Portugal’s significance among maritime countries, especially in Europe, brings new avenues for business to WISTA, and increases the influence of WISTA worldwide.”

WISTA Portugal will provide several opportunities to its professional members by promoting the exchange of experiences and information, and to its research associates by sharing contacts stimulating a culture of continuous education and professional training in the maritime field. The overall aim of the Portuguese NWA is to be an instrument of participation, knowledge and intervention, a partner, for the promotion of Portugal’s “Blue Economy”.

Carla Olival, President of the Management Board of WISTA Portugal, attorney by profession, legal counsel with Euromar and managing director of Marítimos Manning Portugal, stated that she believes “that the exponential growth in tonnage of the Portuguese fleet in the last years, and the enormous potential to further grow, fully justifies the creation of an entity like WISTA Portugal. Our NWA will be an important tool for connecting Portuguese female professionals from the fields of merchant shipping and logistics to the global maritime network. The responsibility of leading such a project is both a long-awaited challenge and an honor.”

Ana Paula Vitorino, Portugal’s Minister of the Sea, will serve as President of the Honorary Counsel of WISTA Portugal, and Lídia Sequeira, President of the Ports of Lisbon, Setúbal and Sesimbra will serve as an honorary member, which further states the significance of WISTA with decision makers and industry leaders of the country. Madam Minister stated that she is sure “that the creation of WISTA Portugal will give greater visibility to the work and the competencies of Portuguese women linked to the various activities of the Blue Economy, allowing for sharing of knowledge and experiences that will certainly enrich the companies they represent and the Country, contributing to the construction of more egalitarian and just societies”.