World Maritime Day celebrated on September 27

The World Maritime Day (WMD) is observed every year on last Thursday of September to acknowledge the maritime industry and to highlight importance of shipping safety, maritime security and marine environment and to acknowledge maritime industry. This it was observed on September 27 with theme as “IMO 70: Our Heritage – Better Shipping for a Better Future”.

Significance of the day

The World Maritime Day marks date of adaptation of International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention in 1958. The day was first observed in 1978. The IMO’s original name was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) but it was changed to IMO in 1982.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)

IMO is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. It was established in 1948 in Geneva as ICMO and came into force in 1959. Its headquarters are in London, United Kingdom. It has 171 member states and 3 associate members. India was one of the earliest members of IMO and had joined it as member-state in 1959. IMO’s functions are to develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping and its remit. This framework addresses various areas like safety, legal matters, environmental concerns, technical co-operation, maritime security and efficiency of shipping.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2018