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Mr. Thomas Kofi Alonsi, Managing Director, GMA
Ghana will join the rest of the world on Thursday September 24 to mark another World Maritime Day, the day set aside to celebrate the contribution of the international maritime industry to the global economy, especially in shipping.
On the theme “Sustainable maritime transport for a sustainable planet”, this year’s event is to provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and showcase the work that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and its Member States are committing to achieving the targets.
Unlike previous events, this year’s World Maritime Day will be celebrated as an online event due to social distancing measures triggered by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
It is organized by the IMO Secretariat with Ghana ably represented by the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA).
A local event is also expected to be held at the Ghana Maritime Authority headquarters in Ridge, Accra, to mark the day.
This year the IMO is focusing on sustainable shipping as it seeks to reduce excess air and water pollution from ships.
In light of this, key frameworks have been put in place to nip this in the bud and reverse the negative impact resulting from greenhouse emissions and ballast water.
MARPOL Annex VI and IMO’s Initial Strategy on Reducing GHG Emissions from Ships are clear efforts to ensure a sustainable planet.
IMO estimates that around 53,000 merchant ships trade internationally, some 11,000 ships are bulk carriers. General cargo ships accounted for the majority of the ships in the global merchant fleet as of January 1, 2019.
Sulfur Mug IMO
Consequently, Ghana joined many other IMO member states in ratifying and implementing the IMO 2020 sulfur limit, which reduced sulfur emissions to 0.5 percent.
Since January 2020, Ghana has banned all ships with sulfur emissions above 0.5 percent from entering its seaports.
The shipping industry, supported by the IMO regulatory framework, has already begun the transition to this sustainable future.
IMO has adopted and will continue to develop measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the sulfur content of ship fuel oil, implement the Ballast Water Management Convention, protect the polar regions, reduce marine litter, improve the efficiency of maritime transport through electronic exchange. information, face the challenges of the digitization of maritime transport and enhance the participation of women in the maritime community.
The pandemic
The pandemic has highlighted the professionalism and sacrifice of the two million seafarers who serve in the global merchant fleet.
Shipping has continued to transport more than 80% of global trade, including vital medical supplies, food and other basic goods that are critical to COVID-19 response and recovery, but hundreds of thousands of seafarers are facing a humanitarian crisis as they have been doing. stranded at sea, unable to get off boats operating on contracts extended for many months.
This must be addressed urgently, through governments that designate seafarers as essential workers and ensure that safe crew changes can be made.
How it started
The United Nations (UN) through the IMO, created World Maritime Day to celebrate the contribution of the international maritime industry to the world economy. The date of the event varies by year and country, but it is always the last week of September.
The day was first celebrated in 1978 to mark the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the IMO Convention.
Celebrations are held around the world to focus attention on the importance of shipping security, maritime security and the marine environment, and to emphasize a particular aspect of IMO’s work.
It focuses on the importance of maritime transport security, maritime security and the marine environment and emphasizes a particular aspect of IMO’s work.
The day also includes a special message from the IMO Secretary General, which is backed by a discussion paper on the selected topic in more detail.
It is celebrated in many countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States of America (USA), and Ghana. Many maritime organizations and unions hold special events and activities to celebrate this day.
These activities and events range from symposia to lunches, as well as school lessons that focus on the day.
Some classes may organize a trip to a maritime museum so that students can understand the importance of the maritime industry in shaping world history and its importance in world trade.
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