World Maritime Day 2024 is set to be celebrated tomorrow with the theme “Navigating the future: safety first!” This theme underscores the International Maritime Organisation’s commitment to enhancing maritime safety and security while also safeguarding the marine environment. It aims to ensure that the regulatory development process keeps pace with rapid technological advancements and innovations.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) stated that this theme will emphasize the regulatory implications related to safety that arise from the adoption of new technologies and alternative fuels. This includes initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships as the IMO works to maintain and potentially enhance the safety and efficiency of shipping, thereby ensuring the smooth and efficient flow of international trade via the seas.
Since its inception in 1948, the IMO, a United Nations agency, has dedicated itself to safety in global shipping. The year 2024 also marks the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention, a key treaty that regulates maritime safety.
Arsenio Dominguez, the IMO secretary general, highlighted in a World Maritime Day video that the SOLAS Convention has played a vital role in establishing international safety standards for shipping construction, equipment, and operational procedures, thereby preventing maritime disasters and saving lives. He added that the theme “Navigating the future: safety first!” calls for a collective effort to adapt to the ongoing changes within the maritime industry.
In Fiji, to commemorate World Maritime Day 2024, the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji has launched an essay contest for high school students in Years 9-13. The winners of this competition will be revealed during the celebrations in Suva on Friday.