Day of the Seafarer this year arrived not as a headline for the Jamaican and international seafarers working Jamaica’s ports but as a knock at the gangway, with staff from the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) visiting seafarers in Montego Bay and Kingston on June 25 and 26 to say thank you in person. Observed internationally on June 25 each year, the Day of the Seafarer provides an opportunity to recognise the essential role that seafarers play in world trade and to bring awareness to the hardships and risks they face while carrying out their duties at sea. For 2026, the International Maritime Organization focused on the theme Carrying world trade Carrying the risk, highlighting the challenges that seafarers face as they navigate dangerous conditions including regions affected by conflict. The MAJ’s delegation was led by Dawn Doyley, registrar of Seafarers, and Seymour Harley, registrar general of the Jamaica Ship Registry, and several MAJ staff from the Registry team, the Directorate of Safety, Environment and Certification, Corporate Services, and the Public Relations unit.  “The Day of the Seafarer exists to remind the world of the people who keep global trade moving. For us at the MAJ, the most meaningful way to honour it is to show up -  to visit the ports, to sit with the seafarers, to ask how life at sea is treating them. These visits are our way of ensuring that the recognition seafarers deserve is felt personally, not just observed from a distance,” Doyley said. In Montego Bay, the MAJ team visited the local crews of the Jamaican vessels Alfred Linton, Duke Fuller, and Harvey Long, as well as the foreign flagged Avenir Accolade - a vessel with an international crew. In Kingston, visits extended to local seafarers aboard the Ocean Tallawah, Ocean Blue Mahoe and Ocean Kingston Pride, as well as the international crew of the foreign flagged Hanze Goteborg. The team also visited with seafarers working with the Harbours Department of the Port Authority of Jamaica.  “Seafarers are the foundation of maritime trade, and it is important that we take the time to acknowledge their contribution, not just in words but in action. Visits like these are a reminder that behind every vessel and every cargo is a person who faces tremendous risk while playing their part in world trade,” said Harley.  Other activities included a newspaper supplement published in The Gleaner on June 25, which featured first-hand stories from seafarers and a virtual outside broadcast on Kool 97 FM. In a collaboration with the Caribbean Shipping Lanes Project, the MAJ also facilitated a video feature on the experiences of Jamaican seafarers, which was shared across the organisation’s social media platforms.  The annual port visits are the MAJ’s established way of marking the Day of the Seafarer, bringing recognition directly to the seafarers in Jamaican waters who keep the country’s maritime trade moving throughout the year.