Oceans Worth Protecting

The National Maritime Day Celebrations (Central) Committee [NMDC(C)] under the aegis of the Directorate General of Shipping, Government of India celebrated the 13th Day of the Seafarer on Sunday, 25th June at The Shipping Corporation of India Limited in Mumbai. This year’s theme adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was MARPOL at 50 – Our Commitment goes on with a campaign hash-tag as Oceans Worth Protecting.

The Chief Guest – Honourable Minister of State for Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Tourism, Government of India, Mr Shripad Naik congratulated all stakeholders of the maritime fraternity on the occasion and bestowed his blessings to Indian seafarers, their families and all stakeholders. He mentioned that seafarers are spending a great deal of time at sea working in very hostile environments requiring courage and devotion to their duty. They are a big part of the solution when it comes to protecting the marine environment.

In his message Mr Kitack Lim, Secretary-General, IMO  asserted that seafarers’ voices and actions are key to ensuring a just transition to a zero-carbon future.

Mr Sarbananda Sonowal, Honourable Union Cabinet Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways & Ayush appreciated and recognized the great contributions of Indian seafarers through his message. He mentioned that under the guidance and vision of our Honourable Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi various preventive steps have been taken by the Government of India to check marine pollution.

In his keynote address,  Director General of Shipping, Mr Rajiv Jalota mentioned that Gender Sensitization and Gender equality is a prime objective in Indian Maritime. He gave a detailed account of various schemes of Government of India for the overall development of the seafarers and maritime industry.

A souvenir and coffee table book covering details of the maritime industry was also released by the Honourable Minister during the function to commemorate 60th anniversary of NMDC.

Seafarers performed a cultural programme to showcase their hidden talent. Around 20 meritorious candidates have been felicitated during the function by the NMDC. Further, cash prizes to meritorious women cadets were given by MASSA.

This event was eye witnessed by the officers and staff from Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, New Delhi, DG Shipping, Mumbai, SCI, and IRS to name a few. The representatives of the Shipping Companies, Maritime Training Institutes, RPSL, MTOs Unions in Maritime field from India and abroad were also present in large numbers.

Mr Atul Ubale, Chairman, NMDC (Organizing) Committee gave the opening address and Dr Raut Pandurang, Member Secretary, NMDC (Central) Committee delivered the vote of thanks.

Marex Media