World Maritime Day 2011

This year’s theme on the 34th celebration of World Maritime Day is: "Piracy: orchestrating the response", a theme chosen by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to provide the international community and the shipping industry with an opportunity to highlight and reflect upon the efforts made to meet the challenges of modern-day piracy.

The day is used to focus attention on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment and to emphasize a particular aspect of IMO's work. World Maritime Day is observed this year during the week of 26 to 30 September and is being celebrated at the International Maritime Organization's Headquarters on Thursday, 29 September 2011.

Piracy: orchestrating the response - The theme for this year was selected to enable IMO not only to focus and intensify its efforts to meet the challenges of modern-day piracy but also to facilitate the orchestration of a broader, global response aimed at eradicating the scourge. Consequently, the following objectives will be pursued during the year:

• Increase pressure at the political level to secure the immediate release of all hostages being held by pirates – seafarers, in the main;
• Review and improve guidance to the industry and promote full compliance by ships with all recommended preventive, evasive and defensive measures;
• Promote greater levels of support from navies;
• Promote anti-piracy coordination and co-operation between and among States, regions and organizations;
• Build the capacity of States in piracy-infested regions of the world, and elsewhere, to deter, interdict and bring to justice those who commit acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships; and
• Equally importantly, provide care for those attacked or hijacked by pirates and for their families.

Useful links:

• International Maritime Organization - website
• World Maritime Day 2011 - website
• Press Release: World Maritime Day 2011 - "Piracy: orchestrating the response"
  
  
• http://www.un.org/en/events/maritimeday
• http://gesamp.org
• http://globallast.imo.org
• http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter
• http://www.ilo.org/global/standards/maritime-labour-convention/lang--en/index.htm
• http://www.un.org/Depts/los/doalos_publications/los_bult.htm