The purpose of this holiday is to draw people’s attention to the damage to the world’s oceans caused by water pollution, overfishing and climate change.

On the occasion of the event, the Cyprus Ministry of Shipping issued a press release in which the new Deputy Minister of Shipping, Vassilis Demetriades, wrote that he “is proud to strengthen his commitment to both environmental initiatives and measures that support the physical and mental well-being of seafarers”.

Every year this holiday is assigned a specific theme.
This year’s theme is sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet, and Demetriades noted that Cyprus is working to create an environmentally sustainable EU maritime transport cluster that will lead global efforts to mitigate climate change.

“Ambition is needed to drive change at the global level, but we also aim to protect EU shipping operations. Cyprus is working constructively with the EU shipping community, regulators and industry to achieve this goal,” he added.

Statistically, about 80 percent of global trade is transported by sea. It is the most efficient and cost-effective way to transport goods internationally. Therefore, it is necessary that the transport meets the principles of “environmentally friendly” economy.