World Day of the Seafarer: Honoring mariners

Today is a day honoring mariners, as June 25 has been designated as World Day of the Seafarer at the initiative of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

World Day of the Seafarer was established in 2010 and is celebrated every year in order to remind the world and especially the world of shipping that our sailors are the most indispensable and vibrant part of shipping.

At the same time, the purpose of World Day of the Seafarers is to recognize the contribution of the seafaring profession to international trade, the global economy, and civic society.

According to the IMO, each sailor’s voyage is different, but everyone faces similar challenges. For 2022, the main theme of the campaign is “Your voyage – then and now, share your voyage”, inviting sailors and civilians to see what sailors’ voyages include, how they have evolved over time and what remains at the heart of their life at sea.

This campaign gives sailors the opportunity to share the challenges they face, as they are the invisible heroes of our world. Just think about what would happen on the planet if propellers stopped “turning”.

Young people return to shipping

On the occasion of World Sailors Day, it is worth noting that more and more young people are turning to the sea, looking for a career in the shipping profession, with maritime education contributing to the new spirit of modernization and renewal that permeates Greek shipping.

Ensuring a better and safer working and living environment, attracting new professionals and substantially upgrading maritime education, both public and private, is the wager for maintaining the country’s leading position in global shipping. In this context, in recent years there has been a clear shift of young people towards naval schools.

It is estimated that shipping will need thousands of new seafarers in the coming years to meet the expected 7% increase in the global fleet by 2025. According to the latest figures, the international shipping industry at this point has positions for 615,000 officers, while according to latest figures there is a gap of 15,000 in order for all needs to be covered.