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Day of the Seafarer 2023
IMO – the International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. IMO's work supports the UN sustainable development goals.
The urgent need to protect the world's oceans and the habitats within them is, nowadays, well understood. So, too, is the need for a sustainable shipping industry to ensure the essential transportation of goods and commodities across the globe, and of passengers.
Hundreds of thousands of seafarers bear witness every day to changes in the marine environment due to human activity – including from shipping. Those same seafarers are a key part of the solution through their implementation of vital IMO rules and regulations developed and adopted to care for the oceans and the planet, whilst ensuring the safety of shipping.
Seafarers' contribution in safeguarding the marine environment is being highlighted on the annual Day of the Seafarer. The Day is marked each year on 25 June to recognize the unique part played in international trade, the world economy and civil society by this seaborne workforce.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the main global treaty for the prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. This year's Day of the Seafarer reflects the 2023 World Maritime theme: "MARPOL at 50 – Our commitment goes on".
It emphasizes IMO's long history of protecting the environment from the impact of shipping – and its ongoing commitment to the important work done through this crucial treaty.
In his message for Day of the Seafarer 2023, IMO Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, underlined the part seafarers have in conserving the state of the oceans, as the maritime sector works towards making shipping more environmentally sound and sustainable.
