The International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced the launch of a global campaign aimed at promoting the theme of World Maritime Day 2026–2027: “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence,” a call to strengthen the effective implementation of the international regulations governing maritime transport.
In an official message, Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the IMO, highlighted that over nearly eight decades, the Organization has built the regulatory framework for global maritime transport through more than 50 international conventions. However, he emphasized that the true value of these instruments is realized only when they are effectively implemented, generating tangible benefits on board ships, in ports, and throughout the global maritime supply chain.
The theme chosen for these two years emphasizes the transition from regulatory adoption to practical execution, with the aim of ensuring that international agreements do not remain theoretical, but are translated into concrete actions, measurable results, and real improvements in safety, environmental protection, and operational efficiency.
The IMO emphasized that “practice” primarily involves the people who sustain the sector: Seafarers, Port Personnel, Operations Managers, Ship Recycling Workers, Port State Control Inspectors, and Flag State Administrations. Ensuring consistent conditions and high standards across all ports and on every deck worldwide is key to achieving truly sustainable maritime transport.
For the Central American Commission on Maritime Transport (COCATRAM), this approach is particularly relevant, as for the Central American region regulatory harmonization, port modernization, and institutional strengthening are valuable pillars for enhancing the competitiveness and safety of maritime transport.
Within the framework of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and COCATRAM, our organization has worked diligently to promote initiatives that enable the proper implementation of international instruments in the region. Compliance with the activity planning defined in the Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP-IMO), under the Thematic Programmes modality, has made it possible to provide technical assistance to the Member States of the Operational Network for Regional Cooperation among Central American Maritime Authorities (ROCRAM-CA) in areas such as marine environmental protection, including the implementation of the MARPOL Convention, the development of Maritime Single Windows (FAL Convention), and Regional Port State Control (PSC) Workshops, among others.
The Secretary-General’s message concludes with a call to transform decisions adopted in international forums into concrete results that benefit the entire global maritime community, and reaffirms his commitment to advancing this transition through technical cooperation, capacity building, and direct support to Member States, in order to prevent uneven or selective application of international regulations.
