Hafnia wins European D&I-award
Hafnia won the award in the category “Best Initiative for Respect & Wellbeing at Sea” for their Hafnia Culture Lab, which centered on seven Hafnia vessels with crews of at least 50% women.
At a ceremony in Brussels earlier today, Danish shipping company Hafnia was selected as the recipient of the Diversity & Inclusion Honours in Maritime 2026. The ceremony took place during the High-Level Conference of the Cyprus EU Presidency.
Hafnia won the award for their Hafnia Culture Lab research project conducted in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark and the Danish Maritime Fund.
“The Maritime Culture Lab has been an important initiative for us in understanding how we can create safer, more inclusive, and more respectful workplaces at sea. This recognition reflects the openness and commitment of our crews and colleagues across the organization - and we are proud to contribute to driving positive change in the maritime industry together with our research partners and the wider shipping community,” said Mikkel Boesen, VP, Technical (Head of TECOS) at Hafnia.
...we are proud to contribute to driving positive change in the maritime industry
Hafnia has twice previously won Danish Shipping’s DEI Award.
“I’m very proud on behalf of all of Danish shipping that Hafnia has won this prestigious award. Their Maritime Culture Lab is one of the most ambitious and interesting initiatives in the field of Diversity and Inclusion with great potential for creating better and more inclusive workplaces. I’m very happy that Danish shipping companies are also at the forefront of this important agenda,” said Nina Porst, Executive Director of Sustainable Ships and Skills at Danish Shipping.
About the Hafnia Culture Lab
Initiated in 2023 with independent research by the University of Southern Denmark, the study examined seven Hafnia vessels with crews of at least 50% women and included interviews across three Hafnia offices to explore how onboard culture changes with a more balanced gender mix.
The aim was to identify the factors that promote or hinder an inclusive culture at sea – and to draw insights that can improve how people live and work together aboard our vessels in an increasingly diverse crewing environment.
About the award
This second edition of the Honours is organised by WISTA Cyprus, under the endorsement of the Cyprus EU Presidency, the European Commission’s Women in Transport EU Platform, and WISTA International, with the support of ES|ECSA, ICS, ETF, ITF, and InterManager, together with other partners from across the maritime industry.