25 June: International Day of the Seafarer

Observed on June 25 every year, Day of the Seafarer recognises the invaluable contribution of seafarers to the worldwide commerce and economic system. Almost 90 percent of the world’s goods trade are transported by ships and behind these ships are the seafarers who work relentlessly to ensure smooth flow of trade via water. The day honours their contributions and is celebrated to show reverence to them. Governments, shipping associations, businesses, shipowners, and all other interested parties are asked to support and commemorate the Day in a meaningful and suitable way.

THEME

The theme of this year is ‘Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future’. The theme seeks to increase the visibility of seafarers by drawing attention to the invaluable role they play now and will continue to play in the future.

KEY POINTS:

The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978, held in Manila, Philippines, in June 2010, adopted a resolution that established the Day of the Seafarer and made significant revisions to the STCW Convention and Code.

The resolution established the Day of the Seafarer, which was first observed in 2011. The annual list of United Nations Observances now includes the Day of the Seafarer.

International Day of the Seafarer, 2022:

Although each seafarer’s voyage is unique, they all encounter the same difficulties. With the theme “Your voyage – then and now, share your adventure,” the Day of the Seafarers campaign for 2022 will examine seafarer voyages, including what they entail, how they have changed over time, and what has remained central to seafarers’ reality.

This campaign offers seafarers the ability to express what is currently on their minds, whether it is the ongoing crew change dilemma or the direction that technology is headed in.