A Ministry of Transport delegation is in Busan, The Republic of Korea, to take part in the 2026 World Maritime Day Parallel Event running in Busan from Oct. 26 to Oct. 27.

Attended by leaders of 169 countries, the 2026 WMDPE in Busan will focus on the theme ''From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence.”

The MOT participation comes within the framework of Qatar’s preparations to host the event in 2028. The International Maritime Organization 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 megaevents.

The MOT team being in Korea will help identify the best practices and requirements for hosting such global maritime events and mechanisms of collaboration and cooperation with the IMO.

The World Maritime Day Parallel Event was celebrated for the first time in Lisbon, Portugal in 2005, and is hosted in a different country each year. The WMDPE promotes the World Maritime Day theme and provides a platform to highlight the International Maritime Organization's work and bring together important actors and stakeholders in the maritime community to discuss relevant matters.