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10 WMU J. Maritime Aff. 1 (2011)

handle is hein.journals/wnujlmti10 and id is 1 raw text is: WMU J Marit Affairs (2011) 10:1-5 DOI 10.1007/s13437-011-0006-x The Year of the Seafarer and the impacts of piracy Efthimios E. Mitropoulos Published online: 10 March 2011 © World Maritime University 2011 When the decision was taken to name 2010 as The Year of the Seafarer, everyone concerned was keen to ensure that the end result would be something tangible. Words, while important and not to be underestimated, would not be sufficient to meet the objectives we had set ourselves-which is why, at the beginning of 2010, I expressed the hope that when, at the end of the year, we would take stock of what we had been able to achieve in its course to improve the life of seafarers, we could be able to say that 2010 did, indeed, make a difference. During the course of the year, in the context of our overall theme, we pursued three main objectives: 1. To increase awareness among the general public of the indispensable services seafarers render to international seaborne trade, the world economy, and society at large; 2. To send to seafarers a clear message that we recognize and appreciate their services, that we understand the extraordinary conditions and circumstances of their profession, that we do care about them, and that we do all that we can to look after and protect them when the circumstances of their life at sea so warrant; and 3. To redouble our efforts at the regulatory level to create a better, safer, and more secure world in which seafarers can operate. With regard to the first of these, it was most encouraging to see how many governments, international organizations, and industry bodies took the spirit of the event to heart and provided opportunities for publicizing the Year of the Seafarer. A wide range of activities took place throughout 2010 that added valuable impetus to our traditional World Maritime Day celebration, held at International Maritime Organization's (IMO) London Headquarters in September, and to the Parallel Event held 2 weeks later in Buenos Aires. E. E. Mitropoulos (E) Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization, 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR, UK e-mail: info@imo.org 4L Springer