On the fourth Thursday of September each year, World Maritime Day is celebrated, promoted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
This event highlights the sustainable use of the resources provided by the ocean and the need to establish standards for safety in international shipping, while paying tribute to seafarers.
This year, under the slogan “Sailing in the future: safety first”, marks the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
According to the United Nations, this slogan allows us to focus on the regulatory implications in terms of safety arising from issues such as the adaptation of new technologies or the introduction of alternative fuels, including measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships.
This year, the Council of the International Maritime Organization has chosen Spain as the venue for the celebration of this world day event.
It will take place from 20 to 22 October and will consist of a series of high-level panel discussions featuring international speakers who will offer their views on various relevant topics. The maritime sector Today, the shipping sector accounts for 80% of the volume of world trade and contributes to the transport of millions of people around the world. It is therefore also one of the major drivers of the tourism sector, as almost one third of all tourism activity in Europe takes place in coastal regions. Likewise, maritime transport is one of the fundamental pillars of the blue economy, a sector that encompasses all activities related to the sea and that has the ocean as the main engine of growth and innovation to achieve sustainable economic development. The blue economy generates a wealth of 2.5 trillion dollars per year in the world, which, in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), would be equivalent to the seventh largest economy on the planet.
Activities such as sustainable fishing or aquaculture employ more than 350 million people globally and, in Europe alone, generate some 4.5 million jobs. Spain provides an ideal scenario for the development of the blue economy with almost 8,000 square kilometers of coastline. It accounts for 5% of employment in our country and is capable of generating 945,000 jobs. In addition, its weight is 3% of gross value added (GVA), specifically 32,700 million euros per year. This makes it the leader in this economic sector in Europe, ahead of other neighboring countries such as France (1.4% of employment and 1% of GVA), Italy (2.3% and 1.5%, respectively) and the United Kingdom (3.2% and 1%). However, considering that more than 3,000 million people around the world depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their own livelihoods, the profitability of these activities makes it necessary to highlight the need for a healthy ocean to guarantee its future.