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E-Bulletin March 2024

Celebrating World Marine Aids to Navigation Day 2023

On 1 July each year, the international maritime celebrates the World Marine Aids to Navigation Day. This significant occasion shines a spotlight on the vital role played by marine aids to navigation in ensuring safe and efficient maritime transport around the globe. On this day we celebrate the importance of the ever-increasing significance of maritime trade and the need to protect our oceans and those who navigate them.

Wide variety of aids

Marine aids to navigation encompass a wide array of devices and systems designed to assist mariners in safely navigating their vessels through waterways. These aids include lighthouses, buoys, beacons, other navigational marks, electronic aids, and more. Their primary purpose is to provide navigational guidance, mark hazards, and communicate essential information to mariners, enabling them to determine their position, avoid dangers, and chart their course accurately.

World Marine Aids to Navigation Day serves as a platform to raise awareness about the importance of aids to navigation and the need for their continuous maintenance and improvement.

Vital systems recognized

This day also recognizes the contributions of the organizations, institutions, and individuals involved in the planning, operation, and maintenance of these vital systems.

The theme for World Marine Aids to Navigation Day 2023 remains Successful voyages, Sustainable Planet This theme emphasizes the commitment of the international maritime community to enhance navigational safety and efficiency, safeguarding the flow of trade while protecting the marine environment.

Environmental protection

Furthermore, marine aids to navigation are increasingly integrated into broader initiatives aimed at preserving marine ecosystems. By leveraging their infrastructure and capabilities, aids to navigation systems can contribute to environmental monitoring, protection of marine biodiversity, and the prevention and mitigation of pollution incidents.

The World Marine Aids to Navigation Day is an opportunity to reflect on the crucial role played by aids to navigation. It serves as a reminder of the continuous efforts required to maintain and enhance navigational infrastructure worldwide.

The 2023 celebration

Everyone is welcome to join the 2023 main event organized in Tangier, Morocco with the following programme:

Tuesday 04/07/2023

Registration and Welcome cocktail

Opening remarks:

  • The Minister of Equipment and Water
  • IALA Secretary General

Official Exhibition Opening and Tour

Session 1: New emerging technologies in the field of maritime navigation and contribution of the port sector

Session 2: Preparation of the IMO Audit by African countries

Session 3: Capacity Building for Africa

Session 4: The cultural heritage of lighthouses Trip to Cap Spartel: Thematic guided tour of the lighthouse and the Museum followed by a cocktail dinner

Wednesday 05/07/2023

Technical visits:

  • Visit to  the Maritime Surveillance Traffic Center
  • Visit to Tangier Med Port

Cultural visits:

  • Visit to the marina of Tangier City
  • Visit to the Port Center
  • Visit tothe Medina of Tangier
  • Visit to the Ibn BattutaMuseum

Visit the website and register now!


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