I renew my appeal to Governments to address their plight by formally designating seafarers and other marine personnel as “key workers”, ensuring safe crew changes, implementing established protocols, and allowing stranded seafarers to be repatriated and others to join ships.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
2021 Theme: Seafarers at the core of shipping’s future
The theme for this year reflects a clear need to raise awareness of seafarersʹ crucial role in world trade and increase their visibility. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the crew change crisis in 2020 has highlighted seafarersʹ exceptional contributions as key and essential workers on the front line of delivering vital goods through a pandemic and in ordinary times. The international community has seen how the ability for shipping services and seafarers to ensure the functioning of the global supply chains has been central to responding to and eventually overcoming this pandemic. This could not happen without the professionalism and dedication of the world’s seafarers.
The World Maritime theme for 2021 will provide the opportunity to focus on seafarers as the people at the heart of shipping, while also allowing for activities to delve into specific topics relevant to the role of the seafarer in safety, maritime security, environmental protection, and seafarersʹ well-being; and the future of seafaring against a backdrop of increased digitalization and automation. The theme also links to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on education and training; SDG 8 related to decent work; SDG 9 on innovation and industry, which links to the promotion of a resilient maritime sector; and SDG 5 on gender equality, linked to efforts to promote seafaring as a career for all, including women, in particular.