World Maritime Day 2024: steering toward a safer future amid rapid maritime transformations

As the maritime community prepares to navigate the waters of change, 2024’s World Maritime Day, celebrated on September 26, has brought the theme “Navigating the future: safety first” to the forefront, spotlighting the significance of safety at sea in an era of considerable transformations and new risks. 

Kickstarted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), World Maritime Day has been observed annually on the last Thursday of September, serving as a reminder that maritime safety, security, and environmental protection play a ‘crucial role’ in international trade and the global economy.

As disclosed, this year’s theme draws even closer attention to the notion that safety, above all else, remains ‘paramount’ in a constantly shifting environment, whether that pertains to seafarers handling latest green fuels, safeguarding passengers in brand-new cruise ships or regulating AI-managed autonomous ships and ensuring cybersecurity in a digital world.

For the IMO, the year 2024 marks a particularly special occasion. It has been exactly 50 years since the adoption ofthe International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the world’s chief treaty for the security of merchant ships.

SOLAS was first adopted in 1914 as a direct response to the sinking of the RMS Titanic two years before. The catastrophic event, which claimed the lives of over 1,500 people, exposed considerable shortcomings in maritime safety regulations and accentuated the need for global standards that could protect passengers and crew at sea.

In recognition of this need, the SOLAS convention was developed to establish ‘comprehensive’ safety protocols, setting the foundation for modern maritime safety practices.

As per IMO, the SOLAS convention that is in force today was adopted on November 1, 1974, and has undergone several amendments. It consists of 15 chapters that cover a wide range of crucial topics, including life-saving appliances and arrangements, distress and safety communications, the carriage of dangerous goods, and the integrity of ship structure and stability.

“We can be proud of the crucial role this convention has played in setting international safety standards for ship construction, equipment, and operation, preventing maritime disasters and protecting lives,” said Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the IMO.

“But we cannot be complacent. World Maritime Day calls for collective effort to ensure we keep pace with the ongoing transformation in shipping. We must ensure the continued development and implementation of the regulatory regime to prioritize safety as we steer toward tomorrow.”

Over the past 50 years, SOLAS has provided a framework to protect countless lives. However, now that five decades have passed, IMO remarked that the maritime community is still at a crossroads, facing rapid technological advancements, global security challengers and the shift to green energy.

In his message, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, pointed out that, as it steers toward greater digitalization, automation, and decarbonization, the maritime industry is bound to undergo more profound changes.

“New technologies and designs offer the opportunity to make important contributions to climate action. I count on the commitment of regulators, seafarers and ship operators alike,” he highlighted. 

There will be several initiatives to mark this year’s World Maritime Day. As disclosed, one of those events was the WMO-IMO symposium on extreme maritime weather, which took place from September 23 to 26, 2024, at IMO Headquarters in London.

Another key highlight, IMO has revealed, will be the World Maritime Day Parallel Event, which is hosted every year in a different IMO Member State. This year it will be Spain.

The event is set to held from October 20 to October 22, featuring a number of speakers who will explore critical topics in the maritime industry.

Last year, IMO’s theme for the World Maritime Day 2023 was “MARPOL at 50 – Our commitment goes on”. The theme reflected upon the significance of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), which covers the prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. The year before that, IMO underscored “New technologies for greener shipping”.