Maaike Rustenburg, maritime researcher

What kind of work do you do?

I’m currently a maritime accident investigator at the Dutch Safety Board. I study maritime disasters and incidents—not to tell people what they’re doing wrong, but to learn from them. That’s how we ensure that safety at sea improves.

I grew up around the maritime world. My father was first a helmsman and then a pilot. After considering many different options, I eventually enrolled in the Maritime Officer training program on Terschelling. I wanted to become a pilot, too. Among other things, I did an internship in the engine room and on the bridge of a large AllSeas vessel that lays pipelines on the seabed, the Solitaire. Ultimately, for various reasons, it turned out that an office position in the shipping industry actually suited me very well. After the internship, I was offered a job in the office at the Innovations department as a Marine Engineer. But the practical side still held a certain appeal. That’s how I ended up in the Technical Department, where my passion for safety was born. An unexpected, interesting aspect of maritime work!

Does being a woman play a role in your studies?

I have encountered prejudice in my previous jobs. During an internship on a container ship, the chief engineer simply wouldn’t accept having a woman on board. That was difficult, because he wouldn’t tolerate any mistakes on my part and tried to pin everything on me. That really stuck with me. As a woman, I’ve sometimes been spared from heavy work, and maybe the sexist jokes were toned down a bit when I was around. Although… I’ve also worked in an engine room that was plastered with posters of naked women. When I once added a poster of a naked man, that really wasn’t my intention—that’s definitely a double standard! Overall, I think I’ve adapted over the course of my career. I never felt like I had to prove myself as a woman in the maritime world, but I certainly tried not to draw any extra attention to myself.

Right now, being a woman plays virtually no role in my work, because the organization I work for conducts research in so many different areas. The gender ratio in the office is 50/50. Still, when I go on board for research, I notice that people do a double take: “Hey, it’s a woman.” You can sometimes tell that people have to adjust their mindset.

What do you like most about your job?

That our investigations can make a difference in safety on board. We bring about changes so that everyone can work safely and return home healthy. I also really enjoy the mix of theory and practice: one day you’re in the office typing up a report, and the next day you’re suddenly on board.

I’ve always been drawn to the shipping industry. Ships gave me a sense of freedom and self-reliance. These days, that freedom is more limited, but a crew still has to fend for itself on board. I find it remarkable that the maritime world is so anonymous and invisible, even though shipping plays such an important role in our daily lives. Without ships, we simply wouldn’t have many products—including infrastructure, for example. It’s the silent force behind the economy, but few people realize that!