Emirati woman first to take on job traditionally reserved for men

Ayesha Al Marzooqi, 28, said she hoped her job at Khalifa Port would inspire other women to take up careers that were traditionally reserved for men.

Ayesha Al Marzooqi operates a 126-metre crane moving containers from large ships to shore and found out about the job during an open day event last year to recruit UAE nationals. Courtesy Tawdheef
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ABU DHABI // An Emirati woman who is the only female crane operator in Khalifa Port says she is “confident and proud” of her role.

Ayesha Al Marzooqi, 28, said she hoped to inspire other women to take up careers that were traditionally reserved for men.

She found out about the job during an open day event last year to recruit UAE nationals into operational roles at the port.

“Capt Mohammed Al Shamsi was speaking and he said they lacked nationals in the field. That got my attention and I thought ‘why not do it?’” Ms Al Marzooqi said.

“There are women in so many other fields like aviation. So I took it as a challenge.”

She said her first sight of the 126-metre crane immediately intrigued her, making her want to learn more.

“As soon as I saw the crane the first time I went to Khalifa Port, I felt I had to get on it and try it, even if I wasn’t operating it,” Ms Al Marzooqi said.

“I fell in love with the job and I felt I had the confidence to operate it. I have a strong heart.”

Before taking her role, she underwent an intensive training course.

Omar Al Jaberi, training manager at the port, said the first few days of training included an orientation focusing on health and safety.

Then Ms Al Marzooqi went through the theoretical side of training where she learnt about the equipment, how it works, and how to cope in an emergency.

“Then we took her to work on the equipment itself,” Mr Al Jaberi said.

“Usually people get scared, but Ayesha did not panic and she started working in mere months.

“She is advancing past the men now and it gives them incentives to try to work harder.”

He said it was important that Ms Al Marzooqi was made to feel a valued member of the team.

“We did not make her feel like she was different just because she is a lady,” Mr Al Jaberi said. “She had to feel like she was an active member or the team.

“We wanted her to explore and reach the horizon at the port.”

Ms Al Marzooqi said she was happy in her new career.

“The thing I enjoy most about my job is achieving new productivity targets,” she said. “It really motivates me when I break a new record for my crane moves per hour, which are a key indicator for performance in a marine terminal.”

Ms Al Marzooqi, who is considering taking an undergraduate degree in marine engineering, said accuracy and concentration were the most important skills in operating a crane.

Pierre Pinheiro, the operations training supervisor at the port, said: “Being focused is all about the hand-eye coordination because the job involves handling very heavy equipment.

“She is practically moving containers along the crane 65 metres above the ground, and each container weighs 25 to 35 tonnes.

“Basically, she has to be aware of the environment around her while operating the crane.”

aalkhoori@thenational.ae