World Maritime Day(s)
IMO celebrates World Maritime Day starting today. The exact date is left to individual Governments but is usually celebrated during the last week of September. The day is used to focus attention on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment and to emphasize a particular aspect of IMO’s work.
To mark the occasion, the Secretary-General of IMO always prepares a special message backed up by a paper which discusses the selected subject in greater depth. A message from the Secretary–General of the International Maritime Organization, Mr. Efthimios E. Mitropoulos on MP3 audio file in English: http://www.imo.org/static/wmd2010/wmd2010.mp3
World Maritime Day 2010: Year of the Seafarer will be observed during the week of September 20 to 24, 2010.
The International Maritime Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent marine pollution from ships. It is also involved in legal matters, including liability and compensation issues and the facilitation of international maritime traffic. It was established by means of a Convention adopted under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva on March 17, 1948 and met for the first time in January 1959. It currently has 169 Member States.
