Cairo: Lujain Al Otaibi has become the first Saudi female skipper after obtaining a licence to captain ships on oceans amid a vigorous drive to empower women in the kingdom.
Lujain sounds happy about her ground-breaking career that she hopes will inspire her female compatriots to follow suit. Her passion for the sea has motivated her to undertake challenges to become an inspiring role model for women.
A native of Riyadh, she studied human resources at the Princess Noura bint Abdul Rahman University before joining the Maritime Academy for Maritime Transport and Technology in Alexandria, Egypt, where she graduated as a professional yacht captain.
"This achievement opened wide doors for me in this field," she told Saudi newspaper Okaz. Lujain stressed the importance of benefiting from the capabilities of Saudi women in maritime transportation.
She noted that naval training programmes had tremendously helped her fulfil her dream of becoming a naval officer.
"It is not impossible for the ship captain to be female, especially as some passenger ships in many countries are captained by women," she said.
"There are many studies indicating that the maritime transport industry is witnessing a major shift towards empowering women in leadership roles."
Lujain pointed out that she achieved her dream despite her father’s challenge that she would not be able to continue studying ships and navigation.
She is currently considering a job offer from a Gulf transport company, which she cites as a proof of confidence in women and their capabilities to undertake such tasks, once limited to males.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has ramped up efforts to empower women in different walks of life and appoint them in leading posts as part of massive changes in the kingdom.
Two female ambassadors were among 11 Saudi envoys, who took the oath of office before King Salman bin Abdulaziz last year. The appointments rose to six the number of Saudi women ambassadors.
In 2018, the kingdom allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, ending a decades-old ban on female driving.
