Marine Log hosts record-attendance Top Women in Maritime Celebration in New Orleans

Marine Log hosted its annual Top Women in Maritime Celebration on December 2 at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, drawing nearly 300 attendees—up from 225 last year—for an evening recognizing the accomplishments of women across the maritime industry.

The event, hosted by Marine Log Editor in Chief Heather Ervin, honored the 2025 class of Top Women in Maritime winners along with the program’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Charlotte Bollinger. Industry leaders, sponsors and maritime professionals gathered to celebrate the growing impact of women in maritime and to strengthen professional connections.

“This year’s Top Women in Maritime Celebration, once again, demonstrated the growing influence of women in the maritime profession and the important role they play in the industry,” said Gary Lynch, publisher of Marine Log. “Congratulations to our top 20 honorees and our first annual lifetime achievement award winner, and a very big thank you to our keynote, Elizabeth O’Connor with MARAD, and everyone who sponsored and attended this extraordinary event.”

The event opened with brief remarks by Fincantieri’s Eric Dent, who was the event’s title sponsor. Keynote speaker Elizabeth O’Connor, Chief Counsel of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) addressed the audience on the federal perspective of workforce development and women’s leadership within the maritime sector.

The awards ceremony highlighted women driving progress across vessel operations, shipyards, ports, engineering, offshore energy, logistics and executive leadership. The evening also provided extensive networking opportunities, with many attendees noting the growing momentum behind diversity, inclusion and leadership development within the industry.

“What stood out to me most this year was the sense of community in the room,” said Ervin. “These women are building companies, leading teams, shaping policy and redefining what leadership looks like in maritime. Being able to celebrate that together, especially with so many supporters in attendance, was truly special.”

As part of Marine Log’s ongoing commitment to spotlighting women shaping the future of maritime, interviews with this year’s honorees will be featured in this month’s issue of the magazine.

The 2025 celebration marked another milestone for the program, reflecting not only rising attendance but also the expanding influence of women across every segment of the maritime industry.

The event will once again take place at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans on December 1, 2026, a night before the International WorkBoat Show takes place.

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