Today, September 29, World Maritime Day is celebrated to honor the tireless labor of workers in the international maritime industry. The word ‘maritime’ comes from the Latin word ‘maritimus’, which means ‘of the sea’.
The International Maritime Organization was established in 1948 to regulate the shipping industry. IMO maintains a comprehensive framework that includes technical cooperation, environmental regulation, legal remedies and security for all its personnel.
According to National Today, this organization celebrates World Maritime Day so that “the voices of seafarers are heard and understood. Life at sea is risky and presents new challenges every day. The welfare and safety of seafarers are critical to the success of the global economy.”
The IMO has established as the world maritime motto for 2022, “New technologies for a greener shipping”, thus reflecting the need to support a green transition of the maritime sector towards a sustainable future, leaving no one behind. The theme provides an opportunity to focus on the importance of a sustainable maritime sector and the need to build back better and greener in a post-pandemic world.
In statements echoed by Offshore Energy, the Secretary General of the IMO, Kitack Lim has affirmed that “Our theme ‘New technologies for a greener shipping’ opens a broader conversation about the direction of shipping and how technology can be used for a more sustainable future. It also provides an incentive to further examine how digitalization and automation can support shipping. But technological solutions for cleaner, safer and more sustainable shipping must also benefit people. In this regard, the impact on seafarers and other marine personnel, including the need for training, should be considered.”
According to this publication “the theme of 2022 aims to promote inclusive innovation and the adoption of new technologies to support the needs of a greener transition of the maritime sector, especially in the context of developing countries, and in particular the small island developing States (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs).
The topic is linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDGs 13 and 14 on climate action and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources; SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure; and SDG 17, which highlights the importance of partnerships and implementation to achieve these goals.
