Seoul, October 26 (QNA) - Represented by the Ministry of Transport (MOT), the State of Qatar participated in the 2026 World Maritime Day Parallel Event (WMDPE) running in Busan, the Republic of Korea, from Oct. 26-27 under the theme "From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence," with the participation of leaders from 169 countries.

The MOT participation comes within the framework of Qatar's preparations to host the event in 2028. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council has lately approved Qatar's bid to host the World Maritime Day Parallel Event in 2028. Qatar's offer to host the event was accepted at the Council's 137th regular session.

The MOT participation will support in the planning and arrangements for the Qatar edition of such a major international gathering in a way that reflects the country's profile and role in supporting international cooperation and developing maritime transportation industry. This contributes to enhancing the exchange of expertise and knowledge and benefiting from international expertise in organizing such maritime industry mega events.

World Maritime Day is an international event organized annually by the IMO in collaboration with a host country. It brings together government officials, leaders from the maritime sector, representatives of international organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector to discuss issues, challenges, and future opportunities facing the global maritime industry.

The event includes panel discussions and specialized presentations that highlight the priorities of the IMO and emerging issues, thereby fostering international cooperation, the exchange of expertise, and support for efforts aimed at developing the maritime transport sector and achieving maritime sustainability. (QNA)