Capt. Antonio M. Padrón y Santiago, “IMO Maritime Ambassador” and Maritime Authority of Tenerife, attended the commemoration of World Maritime Day held in the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London
The World Maritime Day theme for 2016 is “Shipping: indispensable to the world”.
The theme was chosen to focus on the critical link between shipping and global society and to raise awareness of the relevance of the role of IMO as the global regulatory body for international shipping. The importance of shipping to support and sustain today’s global society gives IMO’s work a significance that reaches far beyond the industry itself.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), around 80 per cent of global trade by volume and over 70 per cent of global trade by value are carried by sea and are handled by ports worldwide. These shares are even higher in the case of most developing countries. Without shipping the import and export of goods on the scale necessary to sustain the modern world would not be possible.
Seaborne trade continues to expand, bringing benefits for consumers across the world through competitive freight costs.
There are more than 50,000 merchant ships trading internationally, transporting every kind of cargo. The world fleet is registered in over 150 nations and manned by more than a million seafarers of virtually every nationality.
Over the past 50 years and more, IMO has developed and adopted a comprehensive framework of global regulations covering maritime safety, environmental protection, legal matters and other areas. Under this regulatory framework, shipping has become progressively safer, more efficient and more environment-friendly.
World Maritime Day was celebrated across the globe on Thursday 29 September.
During his stay in London, Capt. Antonio M. Padrón, “IMO Maritime Ambassador” for Spain, developed a busy schedule, performing, among others, the following activities:
Visit to the facilities of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
The visit took place in the hands of Spanish Officer, Mr. Julian Garcia Abril, stationed in the Maritime Safety Division (FAL) IMO, making a tour of the facilities.
Meeting with representatives of the Embassy of Spain in London
The meeting was attended by: Mr. Victor Jimenez Fernandez, Counsellor of Transports, Mr. Miguel J. Núñez Sanchez, Attaché of Maritime Affairs and Capt. Esteban Pachá Vicente, Former Counsellor of Transports in the same Embassy.
Maritime Ambassadors meeting with the Secretary General of IMO
On the morning of the 29th, the second meeting of the IMO Maritime Ambassadors, attended by the Secretary General of the Organization, and in which details of the progress of the Ambassador Program created in 2015 were discussed.
Assistance Debate “Shipping’s Future Global Challenges”
A stimulating debate on shipping’s future challenges, with thousands tuning in worldwide via online, was attended by the IMO Maritime Ambassadors.
Official reception to mark the World Maritime Day
The celebrations culminated with the traditional evening reception at IMO, in which the Secretary-General welcomed all attendees and also posed with the IMO Maritime Ambassadors who participated in the events