Global agenda set to turn maritime regulations into practice

IMO sets two-year implementation drive

For the first time, the International Maritime Organisation has set a two-year theme for its World Maritime Day that aims to see the global shipping industry turn decades of international regulation into tangible, operational reality.

The World Maritime Theme for 2026 and 2027, From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence, will see the IMO focus on seeing international conventions being more meaningfully applied.

The IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) has repeatedly flagged gaps in national legislation and enforcement as recurring weaknesses. If left unaddressed, these deficiencies risk undermining safety, environmental protection and the credibility of the global regulatory framework.

“The real test and the real responsibility lie in implementation,” says IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, urging the maritime community to move beyond conference rooms and turn collective decisions into results felt by seafarers, port workers, flag state administrators and port state control officers alike.

The theme, adopted by the IMO Council at its 134th session, marks a significant change in approach. For the first time, the organisation has chosen a single theme to span a full two-year period, giving member states, governments and industry stakeholders more time to plan events, align activities and deepen engagement.

World Maritime Day itself will be celebrated at IMO Headquarters in London on Thursday, 24 September 2026, with a parallel event expected to take place in the Republic of Korea on 26 and 27 October 2026.

A wide-ranging agenda

The theme encompasses nine key areas of focus across the biennium. These range from strengthening capacity-building programmes for developing nations to advancing regulatory readiness for decarbonisation, following the adoption of the 2023 IMO Strategy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships.

Particular attention is being paid to small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs), which face unique challenges including geographic isolation, limited institutional capacity and high dependency on maritime transport. The IMO has pledged that tailored legislative, technical and financial support will remain a core priority throughout the two-year period.

Other areas of focus include cybersecurity, as the sector's rapid digitalisation increases vulnerability to attack; the fight against fraudulent ship registration; marine environmental protection beyond carbon, covering issues such as ballast water management, underwater radiated noise and marine plastics; and the advancement of port digitalisation tools such as Maritime Single Windows.

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