September 24: World Maritime Day

Every year, World Maritime Day is celebrated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and other international organizations on September 24. This year, the day is being celebrated under the theme

Theme: Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet

Highlights

The World Maritime Day was celebrated for the first time in March 1978. It was then celebrated to mark the IMO Convention. The International Conference held at Geneva in 1948 adopted IMO Convention.

Earlier the IMO was called the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization.

Significance

Around 80% of the world trade happens through sea. It provides low-cost transport of goods and thus is important to promote sustainable maritime development.

National Maritime Day

India celebrates its Maritime Day on April 5 every year.  It was celebrated for the first time in 1964. The Government of India presents award such as Varuna Award, Outstanding Contribution to Maritime Education and Training award and NMD Award of Excellence on National Maritime Day.

Maritime Initiatives of India

The Indo-Pacific Initiative is the current maritime initiative of India. India has adopted the initiative for a safe and secure maritime. This is to be achieved through partnerships with different countries through marine resources. The Indo-Pacific initiative is supported by Australia, Japan and Thailand. The initiative will give confidence to minor players of ASEAN. Also, it will help in resolving disputes under international conventions.

IMO Initiatives

SOLAS: SOLAS is Safety of Life at Sea. It protects standards of passenger ships, establishes basic training requirements and also basic requirements of certification and watchkeeping for seafarers.

Djibouti Code of Conduct: India in September 2020 became an observer of Djibouti Code of Conduct. It was established by International Maritime Organization. It focuses on repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean. The code has been signed by 20 countries namely Oman, Tanzania, Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Seychelles, Maldives, Somalia, Comoros, Yemen, Eritrea, Egypt, Mauritius, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, UAE, South Africa, Madagascar and Mozambique. Apart from India, the other observers are UK, USA, Norway and Japan.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2020