Day of the Seafarer campaign (25th June): #AtSeaForAll

 

IMO is gearing up for its annual campaign to mark the Day of the Seafarer, an official United Nations observance day held each year on 25th June.

IThe purpose of the Day is to celebrate the unsung heroes of shipping, the industry which underpins global trade on which we all rely to transport food, fuel, commodities, raw materials and goods around the world.

As in previous years, the campaign is centred on social media. This year, the theme being used across all platforms is: "At Sea for All". It emphasizes the fact that seafarers serve at sea not just for the shipping industry or for their own career purposes, but for all of us. Like shipping itself, seafarers are indispensable to the world.

In his annual message for Day of the Seafarer, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said: "this year, on the Day of the Seafarer, we are once again asking people everywhere to show their appreciation for the seafarers that quietly, mostly unnoticed, keep the wheels of the world in motion".

New features for this year’s campaign this year include a Twitter Thunderclap, designed to launch the day with a powerful message that should reach far beyond shipping itself. Other features to look out for include an interactive quiz to test your seafaring knowledge at http://dayoftheseafarer2016.imo.org/ - a fun way to find out if you qualify as a “Landlubber, Able Seaman, Chief Officer or Captain”- and share your score.

Seafarers and others are also invited to share their photos depicting a life at sea on IMO’s online “Photo Wall’, a webpage designed to showcase the rich and varied opportunities that a life at sea can offer. And, this year, IMO is adding Instagram to the campaign tools, providing another opportunity to post and share images that capture the importance of seafarers to all of us.

To support the campaign, IMO has also created a number of videos which are available to watch and share on the Organization’s YouTube channel. In addition to Secretary-General Lim’s message, there is also a series of short interviews about a day in a seafarer’s life, and a poignant animation depicting the many everyday items “seafarers brought me”, yet which are so easily taken for granted.

Across all platforms, the campaign hashtag is #AtSeaForAll and IMO is urging everyone on social media to use it to maximise the campaign’s reach and demonstrate to seafarers everywhere how much they are valued and appreciated.