China leads the world in seafarers: Report

China had almost 1.58 million registered seafarers as of the end of last year, a number that grew vigorously at 6.2 percent year-on-year, according to a white paper by the Ministry of Transport on Tuesday.

Cao Desheng, director of the ministry's Maritime Affairs Bureau, issued the 2018 China Seafarer Development Report at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office and noted that the country now has the largest number of seafarers worldwide.

The number of female captains and officers with valid licenses totaled 239,000, accounting for over 15 percent of the total, according to the report.

The Day of the Seafarer, established by the International Maritime Organization and celebrated on Tuesday, is themed, "I am on Board with Gender Equality" this year, he said.

The strides in modern marine technology and automation systems have greatly reduced the workload and provided a more comfortable working environment, which made is possible for more women to seek their careers onboard, Cao added.