In honor of Day of the Seafarer, June 25, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) highlighted the industry’s long-standing support of its crewmembers, who help ensure the well-being of the general public and cruise passengers worldwide.
“ The cruise industry today thanks and honors the 1.5 million seafarers around the world for their unrelenting commitment to maritime service,” said CLIA President and CEO Christine Duffy. “They are the lifeblood of our industry, ensuring each day that families and cruise patrons worldwide enjoy a safe, reliable, and sustainable cruise. While we celebrate them today, we are working diligently as an industry to maintain the highest standards of safety and fair treatment for our crews, and to create best workplace cultures that reward outstanding performance.”
The cruise industry provides employment for seafarers from more than 150 countries, and more than 80 percent return for repeat employment. In addition to the cruise industry, seafarers play a vital role in the economy and sustainable development worldwide, enabling ships to carry more than 90 percent of world trade.
Additionally, the charity funded by CLIA’s member cruise lines, Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation (CICF), has made a $5,000 donation to The Seamen’s Church Institute in commemoration of the Day of the Seafarer. Founded in 1834, the Institute is North America’s largest and most comprehensive mariners’ service agency, promoting safety, dignity, and improved working and living conditions for millions of men and women serving in the maritime workplace.
The Day of the Seafarer is one of the annual United Nations Observances. It was first established in 2011 as a result of the June 2010 Conference of Parties to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978, which adopted major revisions to the STCW Convention and Code.
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Source: CLIA, June 26, 2012; Image: IMO