Few people in shipping can claim to be a best-selling author but the book published in 1985 by Dominica’s candidate, Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, The Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Sea, is a text that thousands in international maritime law will be familiar with.

Doumbia-Henry concluded her eight-year term as president of Sweden’s World Maritime University last month, the latest post in a trailblazing career that has included time in The Hague working with the Iran-US Claims Tribunal, and the International Labour Organisation in Switzerland where she was responsible for developing the ILO Maritime Labour Convention.

She is one of three women nominated for the position of secretary general with the International Maritime Organisation, which includes seven candidates. They are: Bangladesh (Moin Uddin Ahmed), China (Zhang Xiajojie), Dominica (Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry), Finland (Minna Kivimäki), Kenya (Nancy Karigithu), Panama (Arsenio Dominguez) and Türkiye (Suat Hayri Aka).

Doumbia-Henry said she was inspired to embark on a maritime career and in particular develop labour standards for the shipping sector because she grew up on a small island, with many fishermen in her village and among her family.

Her work protecting the rights of seafarers led her to many interagency collaborations between the ILO and the IMO.

Voting to elect the next secretary general begins at 9.30am on Tuesday July 18. Research shows that none of the seven candidates appear to have sustained a majority to win the vote outright, which means a second round or a third round is likely.