From navigating ships at sea to shaping the next generation of maritime professionals, Dr. Captain Arife Tugsan Colak reflects on resilience, leadership, automation, inclusion, and the enduring human element behind every voyage.
Few maritime professionals have experienced the industry from as many perspectives as Dr. Captain Arife Tugsan Colak.
An oceangoing captain, educator, researcher, and academic leader, her career has spanned shipboard operations, maritime training, research, and leadership. Throughout that journey, one lesson has remained constant: seafaring is far more than a profession. It is a way of life that shapes character, judgement, resilience, and responsibility.
Today, as shipping navigates rapid change through digitalisation, automation, sustainability, and evolving workforce expectations, Dr. Çolak continues to contribute to the industry’s future—not only through research and education, but also by helping develop the next generation of maritime professionals.
In this Seafarer Month feature, she reflects on the experiences that shaped her career, the lessons learned from life at sea, the future role of technology, the challenges facing younger seafarers, and the importance of creating workplaces where people feel respected, supported, and valued.
The Sea That Shaped a Leader
Your journey spans Chief Officer, Ship Captain, educator, researcher, and department leader. Looking back, which role changed you the most as a person and why?
Each role has shaped me in a different way, but becoming a Ship Captain changed me most as a person. At sea, especially when you are responsible for a vessel, crew, students, safety, and decision-making under pressure, you understand the true meaning of accountability. A captain cannot postpone responsibility; decisions must be made calmly, sometimes with limited time and information.
That role taught me discipline, emotional control, resilience, and the importance of protecting people above all else. Later, when I moved into education and leadership, I carried that same sense of responsibility with me.
Today, as an educator and department leader, I still feel I am navigating a vessel—only now the vessel is the future of young maritime professionals.
“Today, as an educator and department leader, I still feel I am navigating a vessel—only now the vessel is the future of young maritime professionals.”
You once mentioned that if given the chance, you would choose to be a seafarer again. What keeps that connection with the sea so strong even today?
The sea offers something difficult to explain fully. It offers freedom, but also responsibility. It offers peace, but also tests your strength.
Even after moving into academia and leadership, my connection with the sea remains strong because my character was shaped there. The bridge, the sound of the vessel, the changing weather, the port arrivals, and the teamwork on board all became part of my memory and professional identity.
Seafaring taught me courage, patience, and respect for duty. I also believe that once a person truly becomes a seafarer, the sea never fully leaves them. Today, when I teach students, I carry that same spirit and try to pass on not only knowledge but also the soul of the profession.
Was there a difficult situation at sea that taught you an important lesson about leadership or resilience?
When I look back on my sea life, I do not define it primarily by hardship. I mostly remember the beauty of seafaring: the discipline, the teamwork, the friendships, and the strong sense of purpose on board.
However, in the early years of my career, as the first female officer at the company I worked for, I understood that I had to stand firm and prove my professional competence every day. I sometimes heard comments such as, “Why are you here?” or “This profession is not suitable for you.”
On my first day on board as an officer, the Captain called me to the bridge wing and told me:
“Whatever the male officers do, you may need to show twice the effort.”
Whether this advice was right or wrong can be debated, but it gave me an important lesson about resilience and leadership: never allow external doubt to weaken your discipline, your dignity, or your commitment to duty.
For me, resilience is not only surviving difficult moments; it is maintaining professionalism in every circumstance and continuing to perform consistently. Leadership also starts there. Before leading others, you must first learn to lead yourself: your reactions, your emotions, your standards, and your work ethic.
I believe that a strong seafarer is not defined by gender, but by responsibility, competence, endurance, and commitment.
Passing the Helm to the Next Generation
Moving from the bridge to the classroom is a unique transition. What inspired you to step into teaching and academia?
My transition from the bridge to the classroom was natural because I always believed that seafaring knowledge should be conveyed through real experience. I served at sea and later on training ships, where I saw how important it is for young cadets to connect theory with practice. Teaching gave me the opportunity to shape future officers before they face real responsibility on board. I wanted students to learn not only regulations and procedures, but also a professional attitude, situational awareness, decision-making, and the human side of seafaring.
Academia also allowed me to combine my maritime background with research, especially in remote sensing, digitalisation, maritime spatial planning, and future maritime training.
In the classroom, I feel that I am still serving the sea—but through the next generation.
What qualities separate a good officer from a truly memorable leader?
A good officer performs duties correctly, follows procedures, and maintains safety. A truly memorable leader does all of this, but also inspires people. Memorable leaders are calm under pressure, fair in their decisions, and consistent in their behaviour. They listen, guide, and protect their team. They do not create fear; they create confidence.
At sea, people remember leaders who supported them during difficult moments, corrected them without humiliating them, and trusted them enough to help them grow.
A memorable leader also accepts responsibility instead of blaming others.
“Rank gives authority, but character gives influence.”
In my view, the best maritime leaders are those who combine competence, humility, courage, and empathy. They leave behind not only completed voyages, but also stronger people.
Looking at young officers and maritime students today, what is one common mistake you see repeatedly, and what would you want them to understand earlier in their careers?
One common tendency I sometimes observe among some young officers and maritime students is expecting everything to be ready, fast, and easily accessible, without fully respecting the learning process behind it. Technology and AI are powerful tools, but they should not replace personal effort, critical thinking, or professional integrity. What I would want young officers to understand earlier is this: the effort you invest in yourself during the early years of your career cannot be shortcut.
Every watch you keep attentively, every procedure you learn properly, and every difficult situation you work through builds the professional foundation that will carry you for the rest of your career.
Competence earned through genuine effort gives you something no tool or shortcut can provide—real confidence under pressure.
“The sea will always test what you truly know, not what you appear to know.”
Navigating the Future Without Losing Seamanship
Your work includes maritime digitalization and technology-related developments. How do you see technology changing the future role of seafarers?
Technology will not diminish the importance of seafarers; it will transform their role. Ships are becoming more automated, connected, and data-driven, and future seafarers will increasingly monitor systems, interpret data, manage alarms, and make higher-level decisions.
However, technology must support—not replace—professional judgement and fundamental seamanship. Recent geopolitical and security-related developments, including risks to critical sea lanes such as the Strait of Hormuz, remind us that vulnerable onboard systems may be disrupted, switched off, spoofed, or exposed to cyber threats.
In such cases, officers must be able to return to basics: fixing position by radar, using alternative position-fixing methods, navigating without GPS if necessary, and working confidently with paper and electronic charts. As maritime educators, our responsibility is to teach both: advanced technology for the future and core navigational competence for resilience.
“The future maritime professional must be a competent seafarer, a confident user of technology, and a calm decision-maker when technology becomes unavailable.”
As ships become more automated and technologically advanced, what human qualities should never disappear from seafaring?
No matter how advanced ships become, certain human qualities must never disappear: responsibility, courage, discipline, empathy, situational awareness, and ethical judgement. Technology can process data, but it cannot fully understand human emotions, crew wellbeing, moral responsibility, or the wider consequences of a decision in the way a trained professional can.
Seafaring has always depended on trust, teamwork, and judgement under uncertainty. These qualities are even more important in automated environments, because overreliance on systems can create new risks.
“The heart of seafaring is not only machinery or software; it is the human being who understands the sea, protects life, and takes responsibility when it matters most.”
For me, the essence of seafaring is still human judgement under responsibility. Ships may become autonomous, but safety will always need competent, alert, and accountable maritime professionals who can combine technology, seamanship, and human judgement.
The Next Wave of Seafarers
Today’s Generation Z seafarers are entering the industry with different expectations. What strengths do they bring onboard, and where do they need additional guidance?
From my experience, Generation Z is entering the industry with expectations that are quite new for many of us. Today, some young seafarers are less comfortable with strict hierarchy, place greater importance on social life and work-life balance, and may prefer shore-based opportunities if they do not see clear personal or professional value in remaining at sea.
Research confirms that this is not only a perception. Studies continue to highlight concerns about stress, heavy workload, stagnant wages, unhealthy onboard living conditions, and lack of support.
“These numbers ask the industry to listen, not only to lecture.”
At the same time, their awareness should not be seen only negatively. They ask questions, seek guidance, engage in discussions, and often bring strong digital awareness.
Our responsibility as maritime educators and leaders is to guide them clearly, so they can combine confidence with respect, rights with responsibility, and digital awareness with discipline, resilience, and traditional seamanship.
Recent developments around the Strait of Hormuz have highlighted how global events can directly affect shipping and crews. What is the most important lesson the industry should learn from situations like this?
The most important lesson is that maritime transport is not only a commercial activity; it is a lifeline for the world. During COVID-19, the world saw how essential shipping is. While many sectors slowed or stopped, maritime transport continued to carry food, energy, medicine, raw materials, and essential goods.
We saw another example when the Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal in 2021. One vessel, stuck in a critical waterway, affected shipping and supply chains around the world.
Today, the Strait of Hormuz reminds us again of this reality. Unfortunately, in all these crises, the most affected people are often the seafarers on board. They may wait for days at anchor while managing security concerns, operational pressure, fatigue, stress, and worries about their families.
Therefore, operational preparedness must include updated risk assessments, alternative navigation plans, contingency procedures, and clear company communication. But preparedness must also include seafarer wellbeing.
“A ship can only remain resilient if the people on board feel informed, supported, protected, and safe.”
Beyond Representation: Creating Belonging at Sea
Many organizations are working to increase representation in maritime, but representation alone does not always create belonging. From your experience, what makes a seafarer truly feel valued, heard, and included onboard?
A seafarer feels valued when respect is visible in daily practice, not only in policy statements. Belonging onboard comes from fair treatment, clear communication, trust, and being included in the team as a professional. It means that a person’s voice is heard during safety discussions, their concerns are taken seriously, and their contribution is recognized.
It also means that mistakes are handled as learning opportunities when appropriate, not as humiliation.
“Representation opens the door, but belonging is created by culture.”
A truly inclusive ship is one where every competent seafarer feels respected, safe, and able to grow.
What would you tell young women considering a career at sea but feeling uncertain?
I would tell them: do not allow uncertainty to decide your future before you even begin. A career at sea is demanding, but it is also powerful, meaningful, and transformative.
There may be moments when you need to prove yourself more than others, but your competence, attitude, and professionalism will speak strongly. The maritime industry needs capable women not as symbols, but as officers, leaders, researchers, educators, managers, and decision-makers.
“If the sea is in your heart, give yourself the chance. You may discover a stronger version of yourself there.”
A Message to Every Seafarer
If you could write one message to every seafarer reading this during Seafarer Month, what would it say?
To every seafarer: your work is not invisible. Every safe voyage, every cargo delivered, every watch kept, and every sacrifice made away from your family carries great value. The world depends on your professionalism more than it often realizes.
Please take pride in your role, protect your well-being, support your shipmates, and never forget that seafaring is one of the most meaningful professions in the world.
The Sea’s Last Lesson
Throughout her career, Dr. Captain Arife Tugsan Colak has never truly left the bridge — she has simply expanded what the bridge means.
From her first watch as an officer, navigating not just the sea but the quiet resistance of those who doubted her place on it, to the lecture halls where she now shapes the officers of tomorrow, every chapter of her journey has been guided by the same compass: responsibility to people, commitment to excellence, and the courage to keep moving forward even when the horizon is uncertain.
What makes her story remarkable is not simply what she has achieved, but how she has carried it. Without bitterness toward the obstacles. Without losing the wonder she first felt standing on a bridge wing watching the sea shift color at dawn. Without forgetting that behind every vessel, every cargo delivered, and every safe arrival, there is a human being who chose a life most people will never fully understand.
As the maritime world accelerates into an era of automation, data, and digitalisation, Dr. Çolak’s message is both a caution and an invitation. Technology will reshape the profession. But it will not replace the person who stands watch at 0300, makes a calm decision under pressure, and brings the ship — and everyone on it — safely home.
That person still matters. That person will always matter.
And if the sea has taught her anything, it is this:
“Stay humble. Take responsibility. Protect others. And move forward with courage — even when the horizon is uncertain.”
The sea is still watching. And so is the next generation she is helping to send toward it.
