Global maritime community marks 50 years of SOLAS, the international ship safety treaty.
World Maritime Day on September 26, 2024 highlights the importance of safety at sea in an era of significant transformations and new risks.
Fifty years since the adoption of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) – the world’s most important treaty for the safety of merchant ships – the maritime community is at a crossroads, facing rapid advances in technology, global security challenges and the shift to green energy.
This year’s theme for World Maritime Day, “Navigating the Future: Safety First!” recognizes that safety remains paramount in such a changing environment, whether it pertains to seafarers handling new green fuels, safeguarding passengers in the latest cruise ships, regulating AI-managed autonomous ships or ensuring cybersecurity in a digital world.
At Guice Offshore (“GO”), we live our “GO Safely” incident and injury-free culture daily.
Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez said: “2024 marks 50 years since the SOLAS treaty was adopted. We can be proud of the crucial role this convention has played in setting international safety standards for ship construction, equipment, and operation, preventing maritime disasters and protecting lives. But we cannot be complacent. World Maritime Day calls for collective effort to ensure we keep pace with the ongoing transformation in shipping.”
In his message, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said: “Today, the maritime sector is undergoing a profound transformation as it steers towards greater digitalization, automation and decarbonization. New technologies and designs offer the opportunity to make important contributions to climate action. I count on the commitment of regulators, seafarers and ship operators alike.”
50 years of SOLAS
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was first adopted in 1914, in response to the Titanic disaster. It is widely recognized as the most important international treaty on maritime safety.
The Convention in force today was adopted on 1 November 1974. It contains 15 chapters covering key topics, such as life-saving appliances and arrangements, distress and safety communications and carriage of dangerous goods and many more. Find out more
Celebrate World Maritime Day
Several initiatives are underway to mark World Maritime Day:
- Lighting up landmarks: IMO Headquarters will be bathed in blue light in the evening of the day to promote this year’s theme. IMO invites Member States, intergovernmental organizations in cooperation with IMO, and non-governmental organizations in consultative status with IMO to light up landmarks. (See 2023 landmarks)
- WMO-IMO Symposium on Extreme Maritime Weather: The event is jointly organized by IMO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on the theme `Bridging the Knowledge Gap Towards Safer Shipping’ from 23 to 26 September 2024 at IMO Headquarters, London. Find out more
- Social media: IMO invites the maritime community and beyond to celebrate the day by using the hashtag #WorldMaritimeDay and tagging IMO on social media (X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn).
- World Maritime Day Parallel Event: The World Maritime Day Parallel Event is hosted each year in a different IMO Member State. This year it will be held in Barcelona, Spain from 20 to 22 October 2024 and will feature prominent speakers and presentations from the maritime community. Find out more
What’s the World Maritime Day Theme for 2025?
Protecting the ocean is central to 2025 world maritime theme.
Our Ocean
Our Obligation
Our Opportunity
has been selected as the International Maritime Organization’s World Maritime Day theme for 2025, which will culminate in the celebration of World Maritime Day on 25 September 2025.
The IMO Council, meeting for its 132nd session, endorsed the theme following a proposal by IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez.
The theme reflects the ocean’s vital role in the world economy, with more than 80% of global trade transported by sea. The ocean is a source of jobs and food for millions of people, a home for countless marine species, and a regulator of the planet’s climate, mitigating the impacts of climate change.
As the largest sector operating in the ocean space, shipping has a central role to play in the protection of the marine environment and management of ocean resources.
IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez said:
“Our long-standing commitment on this issue is evident in IMO’s robust global regulatory framework supporting cleaner, safer seas, and a growing portfolio of technical assistance initiatives to support ocean protection in our 176 Member States.”
Over many decades, IMO has developed and adopted mandatory rules, recommendations and guidelines to protect the marine environment from any potential negative impact of shipping. These include binding treaties applied on ships globally. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), first adopted in 1973, covers pollution from oil, dangerous chemicals, packaged goods, sewage and garbage, and harmful emissions from ships.
Other marine environment related treaties cover: the dumping of wastes at sea (London Convention and Protocol); managing ships’ ballast water to prevent the spread of potentially invasive aquatic species (Ballast Water Management Convention); control of anti-fouling systems; and preparedness and response for spills of oil or chemicals.
These international regulations are supported by technical assistance programmes and projects that support Member States to tackle specific challenges such as marine plastic litter, greenhouse gas emissions from ships, and the spread of invasive aquatic species through ballast water and biofouling.
IMO’s work in these areas directly support the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:
- SDG 14 on life below water;
- SDG 13 on climate action;
- SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure; and
- SDG 17 on partnerships.
The new theme emphasizes the link to wider global efforts to protect the ocean including the conclusion of UN Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), the negotiation of a new instrument to address plastic pollution and the third UN Ocean Conference in June 2025.
The theme will allow all stakeholders to showcase the deep interconnection of shipping and IMO in the ocean space, highlighting the importance of collaboration and coordination to ensure the sustainable and safe use of ocean resources.
