World Maritime Day 2026: IMO Warns Shipping Rules Are Under Strain as Seafarers Face Deadly Attacks

The global maritime industry is marking World Maritime Day on Thursday with an unusually immediate backdrop: merchant ships under attack, seafarers being killed and some of the world’s most important shipping routes disrupted by conflict.

The International Maritime Organization has chosen “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence” as the World Maritime Day theme for both 2026 and 2027, putting the focus on whether international shipping rules are actually being implemented and enforced at the national level.

The message comes as commercial shipping continues to face the effects of geopolitical conflict from the Strait of Hormuz to the Black Sea and Sea of