The Bahamas celebrates environmental sustainability on World Maritime Day

The Bahamas is proud to celebrate World Maritime Day on 28 September 2023 and fully endorses its recognition of the need to protect the environment as encapsulated in this year’s World Maritime theme “MARPOL at 50 – Our commitment goes on”.

As a nation heavily reliant on its pristine beaches and seas for its thriving tourist industry and as one of the world’s largest ship Registries, The Bahamas is actively engaged in supporting the regulatory process to safeguard the marine environment from pollution by ships.

The Bahamas Maritime Authority, through its collaboration with its shipowners and strategic industry partners, continues to examine measures and processes that will aid progress in achieving the reduction of Green House Gases as well as two of the UN Sustainable Development Goals  – SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 14 (sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources).

As a low-lying country and small island state that is existentially threatened by the effects of rising oceans, climate change is the number one foreign policy issue for The Bahamas. Therefore The Bahamas will actively promote the green agenda for maritime and we remain fully committed to MARPOL and the  broader IMO’s vision and objectives for a green and sustainable global maritime transportation system.