World Maritime Day 2026: seafarers come first
On 24 September, the maritime community marks World Maritime Day. This year’s theme, “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence”, focuses on turning policies and regulations into actions that make a real difference in maritime operations.
In his World Maritime Day message, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez looks ahead to a decade shaped by digitalisation, the energy transition and opportunities to build a more inclusive and diverse maritime sector.
But across all these developments, he stresses one principle: “Seafarers come first. Always.”
At Blue Orange Wave, this principle we strongly recognise.
Supporting the people onboard
The maritime industry is changing. Geopolitical situations, new regulations, technologies, fuels and procedures bring rapidly new challenges, but also many opportunities for the people working at sea.
Ultimately, it is the crew onboard that need to understand these changes and apply them in their daily work life. That requires more than having the right policies and procedures in place. Seafarers need the knowledge, skills and confidence to work with them in practice.
Preparing for practice
Good preparation and training are key elements to these changes. Digital learning, vessel familiarisation and realistic scenario-based practice give seafarers more opportunities to prepare and practise, both before joining a vessel and while onboard. They learn at their own pace, repeat information when needed and become familiar with situations before encountering them in practice.
For Blue Orange Wave, digital solutions form part of a broader approach to supporting seafarers in their work. These solutions can make preparation and training more accessible and flexible, while enabling more effective use of the limited time available for training onboard. At the same time, practical training and hands-on experience remain essential.
This is also how we see the message behind this year’s World Maritime Day: policies and developments in the maritime sector need to work for the people who have to apply them onboard.
