SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION ‘DRIVING FORCE’ BEHIND

 

EFFORTS TO ENSURE GREENER, CLEANER SHIPPING, IN WORLD MARITIME DAY MESSAGE

 

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for World Maritime Day, 27 September:

Every year, World Maritime Day provides the opportunity to reflect on the significance of shipping in our globalized society.  Today, more than 90 per cent of world trade –- from fuel to food, and from basic necessities to luxury goods -– is carried by sea.  Indeed, for the international transport of most cargo, there is simply no viable alternative to shipping by sea.

But shipping takes place in a particularly vulnerable setting:  the marine environment.  Today, marine biodiversity and ecosystems are endangered.  Seas and oceans are the world’s most prolific natural resource.  They must be protected and managed in a sustainable manner for generations to come.  That is why the theme for this year’s observance -- the International Maritime Organization’s response to current environmental challenges -- is timely and appropriate.  As the global regulatory body for the shipping industry, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the driving force behind efforts to ensure that shipping becomes greener and cleaner.

Shipping is already among the least environmentally damaging forms of commercial transport.  And under the auspices of IMO, a wide range of capacity-building and regulatory measures have been developed and implemented by Governments and industry interests alike.  These measures address a variety of potential environmental threats caused by shipping activities -– from the use of harmful paints on vessel hulls to the carriage of oil, and from the discharge of ballast waters to the dumping of garbage at sea.

There is increasing global awareness of how greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are causing our world to get warmer.  We are already experiencing the impact of climate change, with adverse effects felt in many areas, including in fragile marine ecosystems such as the Artic.  IMO has helped introduce measures to ensure that the shipping industry is only a small contributor to the total volume of atmospheric pollution emissions.  I am pleased that IMO is working towards further reducing harmful emissions from ship exhausts.

On this World Maritime Day, let us recognize the crucial role played by the maritime industry in ensuring global economic growth.  And let us promote sustainable development through the use of safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans.

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For information media • not an official record