The shipping industry is again preparing to celebrate Maritime Awareness Week. This year the activities will take place from September 23-29 under the theme 'The Maritime Industry Responding to Environmental Challenges'.

Maritime Awareness Week is an annual event on the calendar of the shipping industry. During this time there is a week of activities to highlight the work within the industry, which is aimed at creating public awareness, and to strengthen relationships within the shipping industry.

As is customary, the activities will begin with a church service and the week's activities will include a lunch time seminar hosted by the Shipping Association of Jamaica. New highlights this year include an exhibition in the reading room of the Tom Redcam Library.

The full schedule of activities for Maritime Awareness Week is as follows:

Sunday, September 23 church service, at theEast Queen Street Baptist Church, Kingston,commencing at 10:00 a.m.

Monday, September 24. Launch of CMI week of activities at CMI 10:00 a.m.

Tuesday, September 25. Launch of Maritime Awareness Week exhibition at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library - 10:00 a.m.

Maritime Awareness Week exhibition continues at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library.

Wednesday, September 26 - Panel discussion (venue: Shipping Association of Jamaica) 12:00 p.m.

'Jamaica's Maritime Industry Responding to Environmental Challenges'

Panellists: from MAJ, SAJ, NEPA, KWL, JDF Coastguard.

Maritime Awareness Week exhibition continues at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library.

Thursday, September 27 Caribbean Maritime Institute annual graduation ceremony, Jamaica Conference Centre, Kingston.

Maritime Awareness Week exhibition continues at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library

Friday, September 28 Industry Talent Show at The Royal Jamaica Yacht Club.

Jamaica's Maritime Awareness Week was developed around World Maritime Day which is celebrated annually by the international shipping community and falls on the Thursday during the last week of September.

World Maritime Day is celebrated under the auspices of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a United Nations body that has oversight for international maritime affairs and of which Jamaica is a member. The IMO sets the general theme of World Maritime Day and member states may modify it to suit their local situation.