Bahrain has been selected as the venue for the World Maritime Day Parallel Event 2012 by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council, said a senior official.

“We are honoured that the International Maritime Organisation has selected Bahrain as the venue to celebrate the World Maritime Day Parallel Event this year,” said Hassan Ali Al Majed, director general of the General Organisation of Sea Ports (GOP), which regulates Bahrain’s maritime industry.

“Bahrain has a truly rich maritime legacy stretching back hundreds of years, and in 2010, we began celebrating World Maritime Day as part of Bahrain Maritime Festival.  We look forward to taking it a step further this year with the Parallel Event.”

“This recognition by the IMO and the international maritime community is a fitting testament of the GOP’s strategic initiatives, hard work and commitment to showcasing Bahrain’s developments and achievements in the maritime and shipping industry,” he added.

“This event will provide us with another opportunity to help raise awareness of the maritime industry and the steps we have taken as country to meet and comply with international maritime best practices, and will further highlight Bahrain as a leader and key player in the global maritime arena,” Al Majed concluded.

The high-profile event will focus on maritime-themed activities based on the 2012 theme - “IMO: One hundred years after the Titanic”.

The theme calls back to IMO’s very roots, and will take stock of the improvements made over the past 100 years in ensuring the safety of life at sea.

High level representatives from the international maritime community are expected to attend the event in Bahrain which is scheduled to take place on October 17 and 18.

As the maritime regulator, GOP is committed to supporting the IMO’s initiatives and adhering strictly to international standards and best practices, promoting and strengthening Bahrain’s maritime capabilities as the preferred transshipment hub in the region.

World Maritime Day is celebrated every year in London during the last week of September by the IMO and all member states.

Additionally, the IMO selects a country from among the member states to host a Parallel Event for additional celebrations. Both World Maritime Day and the Parallel Event are used to focus attention on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment, and to emphasize a particular aspect of IMO's work. – TradeArabia News Service