Day of the Seafarer 2013
June 25th, 2013, marked the third
International Day of the Seafarer, an official
United Nations observance day. This year,
IMO celebrated the occasion with a social
media campaign calling on all supply-
chain partners, including those beyond
the maritime sector, to help highlight the
sheer diversity and scale of products used
in everyday life that travel by sea, and to
recognize the importance of the people
that deliver them; more than 1.5 million
seafarers.
In his annual Day of the Seafarer
message, IMO Secretary-General Koji
Sekimizu said, “Seafarers operate on the
‘front line’ of the shipping industry
this year’s campaign theme, Faces of the
Sea, aims to highlight the individuals that
are often unseen, but who work to deliver
more than 90% of the world’s goods. We
will ask the seafarers themselves to show
us snapshots of their daily life at sea, to
give them a voice and share their story on a
global stage, via social media”.
Mr. Sekimizu noted that 2013 is a
landmark year for the seafaring community,
as the Maritime Labour Convention
(MLC 2006) entered into force in August.
“This marks significant progress in the
recognition of seafarers’ roles and the need
to safeguard their well-being and working
conditions,” he said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
also highlighted the Day of the Seafarer,
with a special message urging everyone to
remember the contribution of seafarers to
world trade and development.
“On the Day of the Seafarer, I urge
everyone to spare a thought for those
courageous seafarers, men and women
from all corners of the world, who face
danger and tough working conditions to
operate today’s complex, highly technical
ships, every hour of every day of the year –
and on whom we all depend,” he said 