Celebrating the World Maritime Day

09 September 2021 |  C21029

Every year in September we celebrate the World Maritime Day. This year theme is “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future”.

NOTICE TO
Ship Owners/ Managers/ Operators | Surveyors/Auditors/Verifiers

IMO has chosen to make 2021 a year of action for seafarers, who are facing unprecedented hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite their vital role as key workers for global supply chains.

The World Maritime Theme for 2021, “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future” seeks to increase the visibility of seafarers by drawing attention to the invaluable role they play now and will continue to play in the future.

The focus on seafarers comes as the COVID-19 pandemic has placed extraordinary demands on seafarers, with hundreds of thousands of men and women stranded on ships for months beyond their original contracts, unable to be repatriated due to national travel restrictions. A similar number of seafarers are unable to join ships and earn a living. This crew change crisis, which has been ongoing for nearly a year, is a humanitarian emergency that threatens the safety of shipping.

Throughout the year, the World Maritime Theme will also put the spotlight on other issues related to the human element of shipping, including the safety and security of life on board ships, seafarers’ well-being, and the importance of ensuring an appropriately trained and qualified workforce, ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of digitalization and automation.

“This year’s World Maritime Theme – “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future” – is dedicated to the seafarers who have shown tremendous fortitude and determination in continuing to deliver global trade throughout this global crisis.” Mr. Lim said.

“However, this year, we want to shine a light on the significance of the human element to the safety of life on board ships and the importance of ensuring an appropriately trained and qualified future workforce, ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of digitalization and automation. We will also place a special focus on seafarersʹ well-being, an area highlighted by the plight of seafarers during the COVID-pandemic. All these important topics need global attention. We will be hosting many events supporting the theme. Our goal to highlight seafarers as the heart of shipping throughout the year and beyond. We will unveil our programme of events soon. We have a challenging year ahead.”

Below you may find the full IMO Secretary-General message.

Making voices of seafarers heard

As part of its efforts to put seafarers at the heart of discussions, IMO has launched a series of profiles in which seafarers express their views on their work and the future of shipping.

Sustainable Development Goals

The World Maritime theme for 2021 also links to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – particularly SDG 4 on education and training; SDG 8 related to decent work; SDG 9 on innovation and industry, which links to the promotion of a resilient maritime sector; and SDG 5 on gender equality, linked to efforts to promote seafaring as a career for all, including women, in particular.

The 2021 theme is also a continuation of, and is directly linked to, the 2020 theme “Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet” to highlight the role that seafarers will play in ensuring the sustainable future for shipping.

Interactive webinar featuring seafarers discussing shipping’s future

On World Maritime Day 2021, on 30 September, IMO will host a live webinar at 12.00 BST exploring the theme “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future”. In addition to hearing from Secretary General Kitack Lim, attendees will hear from four seafarers about the following topics: diversity, safety, crew change and the environment.

World Maritime Day Logo

For the purposes of promotion of the World Maritime Day, IMO has developed a logo which DromonClass invites all to incorporate under their email signatures for the month of September 2021.

Source: IMO