International Organisation Maritime (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez put seafarers firmly at the centre of his message for World Maritime Day 2026, warning that shipping has faced a difficult year marked by geopolitical conflict and disruption to global supply chains.

“This year, shipping has been tested,” Dominguez said, adding that “regrettably, too many seafarers have lost their lives due to geopolitical conflicts.”

He said the organisation’s thoughts were “first and foremost with the seafarers and their families who have been affected,” while noting that “the global supply chains for energy and food have been disrupted.”

Dominguez stressed that “at IMO, we will always provide strong, steadfast support for shipping and seafarers.”

This year’s World Maritime Day theme, “from policy to practice, powering maritime excellence,” reflects what Dominguez described as the reality that “regulations will only deliver safer, more resilient, and cleaner shipping when they are implemented worldwide.”

At the same time, he stressed that “implementation must make a difference where it matters the most, for the people working at sea.”

The theme, he explained, “drives our mission to ensure that every member state is supported to effectively implement IMO regulations,” while the wider aim is to ensure that “all IMO member states can benefit from the opportunities that the next decade will bring.”

Those opportunities include “embracing digitalisation,” “responding to the energy transition” and “creating more opportunities for women, so that we can build a more inclusive and diverse maritime sector.”

However, Dominguez made clear that one principle should remain unchanged across all these priorities, saying that “across all these policies and priorities, one principle must remain constant.”

“Seafarers come first, always,” he added.

To mark World Maritime Day, Dominguez said IMO headquarters will be illuminated in blue “to symbolise our commitment to turning policy into practice.”

He also invited “all member states, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations” to join the initiative by lighting up prominent buildings and sharing photos or stories “on how to turn maritime policy into practice” using the hashtags World Maritime Day and Maritime policy to practice.