The global maritime community is celebrating World Maritime Day with a call to the international shipping industry to step up efforts to protect marine life, reduce pollution and curb greenhouse gas emissions.

In a September 25 release, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez emphasized the agency’s long-standing role in balancing trade and environmental protection.

“Whether it is through international regulations, technical support to member states, or bringing together governments, industry, academia and civil society, we always find a way to global solutions,” he said.

The IMO highlighted a series of recent initiatives, from the adoption of an action plan to cut marine plastic litter, to the development of a global biofouling framework to stop invasive species. The IMO also oversaw new sulphur limits in the Mediterranean, as well as the ratifying of the United Nations' "High Seas Treaty" by 60 countries. The pact protects marine biodiversity in international waters, by establishing protected areas for species threatened by pollution and overfishing, requiring environmental impact assessments for deep-sea mining and large-scale fishing, and ensuring that developing countries can gain access to marine science technologies.

World Maritime Day celebrations included a global campaign to light landmarks in blue, a letter-writing competition where young writers reflected on the importance of protecting the world's oceans, and a special screening of the Ocean with David Attenborough film at the IMO headquarters.