A day for Maritime Day

More than 80 percent of the international trade takes place through shipping. It is the most efficient and most economical mode of transporting people and goods and thereby connecting the people around the world. Though shipping is also having its own problems like pollution, safety, piracy, ballast water, emissions and further the troubles of illegal stowaways and terrorism, it still remains the best transportation system. More over bulk and heavy liquid cargoes can only be transported economically through ships. Shipping industry has proved its contribution to the world economy growth and that it is the cheapest and affordable mode all these years.

The world relies on a safe, secure and efficient international shipping industry, which is an essential component of any programme for future sustainable green economic growth in a sustainable manner./1

Shipping has to have sustainable growth and remain visible. In order to keep it so many international agencies and stake holders of the industry are contributing in a no of ways. United Nations –UN, and IMO are on the first of such a list.

A quick look back.

In response to major disasters, states moved towards internationalization of the law, first by the harmonization of local regulations, through bilateral treaties, agreements or understandings among the leading maritime nations. Some organizations operated for a time and then vanished or were absorbed, others were transitory to meet the exigencies of war. Next, nations held international conferences in order to set up universal rules and finally, intergovernmental organizations took over in order to encourage the adoption of international instruments to regulate safety at sea and prevention of pollution from ships.

This is introduction to the full paper published in https://wmu.academia.edu/JkmNair