2010: Year of the Seafarer
Monday, 1 February 2010
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has announced that the theme for this year's World Maritime Day is the "Year of the Seafarer". IMO Secretary General said at the launch in London on 11 January that 2010 promised to be an auspicious and important year for the seafaring profession, with a diplomatic conference meeting in Manila in June to adopt amendments that will bring the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (the STCW Convention) and its associated Code, fully up to date with today's expectations.
Mr Mitropoulos said that designating 2010 as the Year of the Seafarer would help to reassure those who work at the "sharp end" of the industry - the seafarers themselves - that those responsible for the international regulatory regime understand the extreme pressures seafarers face and that they approach their task with genuine sympathy for the work that seafarers carry out. The theme had also been chosen, he said, to allow the maritime community to pay tribute to seafareres for their unique contribution to society and in recognition of the vital part they play in the facilitation of global trade. It would also add impetus to the "Go to Sea!" campaign, which was launched by IMO in November 2008, in association with the International Labour Organization, the "Round Table" of international shipping associations and ITF, to boost recruitment to the seafaring profession.