Intl Women’s Day – First West African Female Marine Pilot Liz Marami
At only 27 years old, Elizabeth Marami is one of the most inspiring and groundbreaking women at sea, becoming the first ever West African female marine pilot.
In September 2021 she joined the bridge team onboard Celebrity Edge, part of the 15-ship fleet from Celebrity Cruises.
While the industry standard is that only 1-2% of the world’s 1.25 million seafarers are women (a whopping 98% are men), Celebrity Cruises has a long-standing history of championing for women and is proud to exceed the standard with an impressive 32% of its bridge team being women.
Born and raised in the coastal city of Mombasa, Marami initially studied law at the University of Nairobi, but later changed course and went on to pursue navigation in Alexandria, Egypt for 5 years. Entering the industry was no easy feat, but Marami was inspired to continue her pursuits when she came across an article about Captain Kate McCue, the first female American captain of a mega cruise ship – who is now proudly at the helm of Celebrity Beyond.
Today, Marami is part of Captain Kate McCue’s bridge and is passionate about continuing her career with Celebrity Cruises.
Passionate about bringing visibility to women in her industry with a goal to inspire others to do the same, she started an initiative for women in the maritime industry called “Against the Tide,” an online platform that provides “a glimpse into the experiences and travails of a female seafarer, both successful and unsuccessful career paths of these gallant women pursuing their seafaring dreams, and how they are charting their path in this profession.”
