World Maritime Day

World Maritime Day is an annual celebration founded by the United Nations (UN) in collaboration with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) which celebrates the shipping industry’s contribution at world’s overall economy.

This celebration officially takes place with events in the last week of September.

The exact day of world maritime day does vary from year to year as well as from country to country.

It’s obvious that the maritime industry since the beginning of recorded time has been the focal point for transportation of goods around the world. It is the most economical and environmentally friendly way to transport large goods throughout the world.

So, let’s celebrate and enumerate some info facts about the industry:

1. Maritime comes from the latin word maritimus, which means “of the sea,” so the meaning hasn’t evolved much.

2. Today, around 90% of world trade is carried by the maritime industry.

3. In 1948 an international conference in Geneva adopted a convention formally establishing IMO
(the original name was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, or IMCO, but the name was changed in 1982 to IMO).

4. International Shipping must align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal and be run entirely on net-zero energy sources by 2050.

5.This year, recognition is more deserved than ever before on account of the COVID-19 pandemic which has presented many challenges to seafarers.

International travel restrictions, lack of shore leave and crew changes are just some of the difficulties which have afflicted seafarers due to this unprecedented situation.

World Maritime Day 2021 will aim to shine a light on these issues which are still afflicting many seafarers across the globe with theme “Seafarers: At the Core of Shipping’s Future”.