The Cruise World’s First American female Captain,
Celebrity’s Kate McCue
McCue has taken over as Captain on September 2013 of the
cruise line’s “Celebrity Summit” which sails to Bermuda from the East Coast.
The 91,000-ton vessel carries 2,158 passengers and 952 crew. At just 37 years, McCue comes from
Celebrity's sister brand Royal Caribbean, where she rose through the ranks to
the position of Master Mariner. When asked on her views with regards to her
attaining such a remarkable rank, she says, "When shipping was blooming,
it was hard, muscular work, and therefore it was very male-dominated, these
days it's all about brains and knowledge”.
The modern luxury cruise brand, which operates a fleet of 10
ships, has elevated McCue to the position of Captain based on her 15 years of
successful experience and leadership in the maritime industry. During her
tenure, McCue has managed ship logistics while sailing worldwide itineraries,
including Europe, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, the Pacific Northwest and
Alaska, and along the Panama Canal. Captain McCue has also served as a maritime
leader while sailing several transatlantic and repositioning cruises, and
played a notable role in the revitalization of ships in Singapore.
She aims to be a visible captain. With all the publicity
surrounding it, wants to make sure, she is out there meeting and exceeding
expectations, not only for guests but also for the crew on board.
McCue states that becoming the first female American captain
of a cruise ship has been a goal of hers for as long as she can remember, also
she looks forward to working with an amazing team and the exceptional
leadership who bring the Celebrity Cruises vision to life every day.
IMO encourages the participation of women in the maritime
industry and has invited Governments to give special consideration to securing
equal access for men and women to maritime training and to employment on board
ships.
It’s been two decades since Indian girl cadets (deck &
engine) have taken up seafaring as a career. Although a larger number of women
are working ashore in the Indian maritime industry, but due to various reasons
just less that 2% of the annual intake are girl cadets, and a few of them have
reached ranks on board ships.
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