Every year, June 25 is Seaman's Day or, in other words, Navigator's Day (Day of the Seafarer).
The decision to celebrate was made in 2010. Member States of the International Maritime Organization, IMO (English. The International Maritime Organization, IMO), members of the UN, signed resolution №19 at a conference in Manila, which served as the basis for the establishment of this international date.
The resolution emphasized that a special day for people of all maritime professions is necessary because the contribution of seafarers to international trade, the global economy and the development of civil society as a whole is invaluable. These words were addressed to the 1.5 million professionals who connected their lives with the water element.
The holiday is dedicated specifically to sailors of the merchant fleet, who, unlike military sailors, still did not have their own holiday — days of sea and river fleet workers were celebrated mainly by people who were not directly related to work at sea. Statistics report that merchant seamen carry out 80% of all global trading activities. In addition, thanks to the work of sailors, for many centuries international maritime transport and communication between peoples separated by oceans and seas were carried out.
The holiday takes place under the auspices of the IMO and each year is dedicated to a specific topic. The International Maritime Organization — itself is a specialized UN agency responsible for the safety of navigation and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. The IMO was formed on 6 March 1948 in Geneva with 175 member states and 3 associate members (as of 2023).
The story has left many glorious pages of the exploits of sailors; numerous novels, stories, and films and cartoons are written about them. Even the opening of a monument to one of the famous cartoon sailors became a big event in America.
The holiday is dedicated specifically to sailors of the merchant fleet (Photo: Alex Kolokythas Photography, licensed from Shutterstock.com)
But like any professional holiday, Sailor's Day — is not only an occasion to congratulate the «sea wolves» and celebrate their contribution to the protection of the marine environment. This is, first of all, a reason to declare the pressing problems faced by modern sailors. One such problem at the international level is that of piracy.
Piracy arose almost simultaneously with the start of shipping, and pirate actions were aimed at seizing ships of all categories. If previously the waters of Southeast Asia, the coast of Africa and Latin America were considered traditional areas of attack by pirates, now the problem of piracy in the waters adjacent to the African state of Somalia is especially acute.
Back in 1926, the Committee of Experts of the League of Nations concluded that the issue of piracy was important and should be among the issues of international law, the resolution of which through an international agreement seems to be highly urgent and necessary«. And today the fight against this evil is being waged by all states on all seas and oceans.
Infographics – poster «June 25 — Sailor's Day»