By
Alex Smith |
The International Maritime Organization has selected ‘Our Ocean – Our Obligation – Our Opportunity’ as the theme for World Maritime Day in 2025.
The IMO Council, meeting for its 132nd session, endorsed the theme following a proposal by Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the IMO. It is intended to reflect the ocean’s role in the world economy and environment. More than 80 per cent of global trade is transported by sea, which is also home to countless marine species and acts as a regulator of the planet’s climate in mitigating the impacts of climate change.
The IMO is emphasising the responsibility of the shipping industry to play a central role in protecting the marine environment and managing ocean resources. It intends the theme to highlight the link between regulatory efforts in the industry with wider global efforts to protect the ocean, including the conclusion of the UN Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). If established at the third UN Ocean Conference in June 2025, BBNJ Agreement would provide a new instrument to address plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.
“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,” said Dominguez.
World Maritime Day will be celebrated on 25 September 2025.