‘From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence’ has been selected as the International Maritime Organization’s World Maritime Day theme for 2026 and 2027, culminating in the annual celebration on the final Thursday of September each year.

Meeting in London for its 134th session (7-11 July), the IMO Council endorsed a proposal from Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez to keep the theme for a two-year period.

The theme highlights the Organization’s clear commitment to develop Member States’s capacity to put policies into practice, by providing technical assistance, training and other essential services.

Secretary-General Dominguez said: “The theme transmits a clear message of our commitment to ensuring regulations are put into action and providing the necessary technical assistance for implementation to Member States. This ultimately strengthens the confidence that global rules agreed at IMO can lead to safer, more secure and environmentally sound shipping worldwide.”

Turning regulations into tangible results

“From Policy to Practice” in the theme underscores IMO’s core mission of ensuring that the global regulatory framework it develops is not merely adopted in principle but translated into concrete national legislation, enforcement and day-to-day operations across the maritime sector.

“Powering” signals the momentum and targeted support through capacity-building, technical cooperation and knowledge sharing which IMO, together with its partners, provides to drive this transition.

“Maritime Excellence” conveys the ultimate objective: a consistently safe, secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable shipping industry, operating to the highest international standards and continually striving for improvement.

Together, the theme conveys a holistic, action-oriented commitment: turning collective regulatory decisions into real-world results that deliver tangible benefits for all.

70 years of regulatory action

For over 70 years, the IMO has worked to develop a comprehensive framework of international maritime conventions, with associated codes, guidelines and recommendations. The full benefits of this framework can only be realized through ratification, effective implementation and constant enforcement. The IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) has reported gaps in national legislation and enforcement, indicating a need to improve regulatory effectiveness.

Global attention on the theme in 2026–2027 could accelerate the national action towards implementation of all IMO instruments.

The theme supports the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular:

• SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure;
• SDG 13 on climate action;
• SDG 14 on life below water; and
• SDG 17 on partnerships.

The theme highlights the IMO’s continued contribution to broader global efforts, as well as the importance of cross-cutting and effective maritime governance in sustainable development.