The Day of the Seafarer was established in 2010 by the member countries of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) at a conference in Manila. At this event, amendments to The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (or STCW), that sets qualification standards for personnel on seagoing ships, were adopted

The amendments affected measures to combat seafarer abuse. The amendments included, inter alia, rules of behaviour when attacked by pirates, requirements for the prevention of various diseases and new standards of medical fitness for seafarers.

The significance of the changes made it possible to make the day of the conference, June 25, International Seafarers' Day. The holiday was also officially recognised by the UN to highlight the importance of seafarers' work to the global economy and to draw attention to the challenges they face.

Each year the holiday is dedicated to a certain theme.
For example, in 2022, the holiday was held under the slogan "Your Voyage – Then and Now".
In 2023, which was the jubilee year for the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), Seafarers' Day was dedicated to the protection of the marine ecosystem. Seafarers published photos of the sea and its inhabitants, and talked about technologies that protect the environment.
Seafarers' Day 2024 is dedicated to seafarers' safety on ships. As part of the celebration, seafarers are encouraged to share their workplace safety tips by posting their stories on social media under the hashtag #SafetyTipsAtSea.

Seafarer's Day is celebrated by civil and merchant seamen, i.e. all those who go to sea on merchant and research vessels, cruise liners and other non-military types of marine transport.

For the professional holiday of seafarers, we have prepared a thematic photo album with the unique silver table decoration in the form of medieval ships. The miniature ship models — the naves (fr. Nef — the ship) with the appropriate fixed equipment and full rigging are notable for the masterly subtlety of realization. They were immensely popular, gained recognition and were landmark items of the festive dinner tables’ decoration in Europe in the 14^th – 16^th centuries, which was a kind of response to the spreading of navigation and great geographical discoveries.

You can examine miniature models of ships in detail in the Western European Art Metal section of the museum collection.