INTERNATIONAL Day for Women in Maritime, marked annually on 18 May, celebrates women’s contributions across the maritime sector and shines a light on the importance of improving gender equality, safety, and long-term career opportunities in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry.
To mark the day, we sat down with Amani Kaadan, a marine mechanic apprentice at Port Authority of NSW, to talk about her journey into the maritime industry, what her job looks like day to day, and her advice for women considering a career on the water.
After leaving school, I studied a bit of everything — psychology, music education, hospitality, logistics and health — but nothing really clicked. I’ve always preferred hands-on, physical work over sitting at a desk. When I came across the General Purpose Hand (GPH) qualification through Maritime Operations at TAFE, it finally felt like the right fit. I gave it a go, started working as a deckhand a couple of years ago.
Late last year, I saw the marine mechanic apprenticeship advertised at Port Authority of NSW and applied and was thrilled to be successful in securing the role. I now work four days a week as an apprentice marine mechanic and attend TAFE one day a week. At the end of the four-year apprenticeship, I’ll be fully qualified as a marine mechanical technician.
I had been working as a deckhand for about two years and was always drawn to the mechanical side of things. When I was completing my Marine Engine Driver Grade 3 course at TAFE, we learned how to diagnose faults and maintain different vessel systems. But whenever something actually needed fixing, we still had to call a mechanic. I realised I didn’t want to be the one making the call — I wanted to be the one getting it.
Not at all. My mum works in IT, one brother is a physio and my other brother is a high school teacher.
It’s honestly the best job. We maintain and repair Port Authority’s fleet of vessels, including outboard engines, inboard engines and a range of auxiliary systems that keep everything running safely. Our work is a mix of scheduled maintenance and ad-hoc repairs identified by the Marine Operations teams.
As an apprentice, I shadow Port Authority’s team of mechanics, helping with servicing and ad-hoc maintenance on our complex fleet, including pilot vessels, survey vessels and wide range of specialised response vessels. One of my favourite parts of the job is when we need specialist contractors to assist on larger or more complex work that requires certain expertise and I get to tag along, learn and ask questions. I’ve met incredible tradespeople with deep knowledge in very niche areas — like an electrolysis expert who explained how vessels can essentially corrode themselves over time, and how systems are designed to prevent that.
Meeting people and learning from them. Everyone I’ve encountered has been incredibly skilled and generous with their knowledge. It is such a dynamic industry. People come into maritime through so many different pathways, and hearing those stories is really shaping how I see my own future in the sector.
If you find it interesting, go for it. I’ve found the industry incredibly supportive. All the captains I worked with as a deckhand pushed me to be the best version of myself and encouraged me to go after what I wanted. Apprenticeships, just like the trainee port officer roles we have at Port Authority, are such an important pathway. They equip you with real, practical skills and confidence to operate vessels and work safely on the harbour.
I saw the apprenticeship advertised online, applied, completed a phone interview, aptitude and mechanical reasoning tests, and then a formal interview. It was a comprehensive process that took a number of weeks to move through the full assessment process, but I couldn’t have been happier to have been successful in the end. I started on 23 March and I haven’t looked back. The team here has been really supportive and open to sharing their skills and knowledge with me.
I didn’t expect the team to be so close-knit. Given Port Authority’s scale on Sydney Harbour, I imagined a huge mechanical crew — but it’s actually a smaller, tight team. What surprised me most was how hands-on everyone is. Our superintendent and senior manager regularly work on the tools alongside us, and I was so appreciative how supportive they have been from the get-go, they took me under their wing during my first few weeks, especially my senior manager, Monika.
Yes, a captain named Kay Povey, who I met through a TAFE classmate. She invited me to her place, which had an incredible workshop filled with engines, compressors, welding gear — you name it. She isn’t a 'jack of all trades', she’s a master of them. Kay spoke about how mechanics is often portrayed as something too complex, especially for women, and how she was told growing up that it was “too hard”. She showed me how she simplified systems in her own way, and how capability isn’t defined by gender.
She was unapologetically herself — bold earrings, brilliant mechanic — and it was incredibly encouraging. It made me realise I don’t have to change who I am to work as a mechanic. Now I’ve got butterfly stickers all over my toolbox!