Yesterday, Thursday 28 September 2023, was the United Nations-designated World Maritime Day.
Each year a theme for the forthcoming year is designated. This year’s theme is “MARPOL at 50” to mark the fifty years since the adoption of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) 1973.
The theme was chosen to reflect the IMO’s history of protecting the environment via its regulatory framework.
Commenting on the advent of this year’s World Maritime Day, the current Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, said:
“Shipping is a pillar of the world economy, a catalyst of development, and a vital link connecting goods, commodities, and communities across the world. Today, the maritime sector transports over 80 per cent of global trade – and accounts for nearly three percent of global emissions. That is why speeding up shipping’s voyage to carbon neutrality is critical to our collective future. The updated Greenhouse Gas Strategy agreed at the International Maritime Organization earlier this year provides a clear plan for achieving net-zero by 2050. Now we need all-hands-on-deck to deliver on the policies and investments required to realize a just and equitable transition for the entire maritime sector.
“On this World Maritime Day, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of a landmark treaty to prevent pollution from ships: the MARPOL Convention. Through the decades, MARPOL has made important contributions to protecting our planet and ocean by making shipping safer and cleaner. Looking ahead, let us build on the legacy of this convention and together steer towards a more sustainable and prosperous future for this critical industry – and a safer future for humanity”.
MARPOL is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. The Convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and minimizing pollution from ships – both accidental pollution and that from routine operations – and currently includes six technical annexes, each covering a different area.
MARPOL Annexes
- 1: oil
- 2: noxious bulk liquids
- 3: harmful substances carried by sea
- 4: sewage
- 5: garbage
- 6: air pollution
UN-designated international days are either declared by a consensus of the Member States of the General Assembly of the United Nations, or they are declared by a designated special agency of the UN – some of which may then be adopted by the General Assembly. World Maritime Day was designated by the IMO and first celebrated on 17 March 1978 to mark the date of the IMO Convention’s entry into force in 1958. It is celebrated during the last Thursday of every September.
