90% of Global Trade Rests on Seafarers' Shoulders; This Year's IMO Theme Highlights Their Risks

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has designated this year's ​Day of the Seafarer theme as "Carrying world trade, Carrying the risks," emphasizing that while seafarers drive global commerce, they also bear its dangers.

PMO News Portal - Bahman Nakisa, Director of Assaluyeh Port and Maritime, wrote in a note that the IMO's decision to adopt this theme aims to draw public and economic stakeholders' attention to seafarers' irreplaceable role and the numerous challenges they face in performing their professional duties.

The note clarifies that over 90% of global trade is conducted through maritime transport, with seafarers serving as the central human element responsible for the safe and continuous transfer of goods, energy, and other raw materials essential to the global economy. They continue their duties under difficult weather and sea conditions, enduring separation from family, work and psychological pressures, and sometimes operating in high-security-risk areas, with unparalleled commitment and responsibility.

This year's theme serves as a reminder that while seafarers are the driving engine of global trade, they simultaneously bear a significant portion of the risks and hardships along this path.

the note emphasizes, improving maritime safety, enhancing working and welfare conditions, supporting seafarers' physical and mental health, and protecting their professional rights are undeniable necessities for governments, international organizations, shipping industry stakeholders, and major global economic enterprises.

Day of the Seafarer provides an opportunity to appreciate the valuable services of this hardworking group, emphasize their role in economic development, global supply chain sustainability, and the advancement of the maritime transport industry, and wish all seafarers worldwide—and especially those from Iran—safe, peaceful, and successful voyages.