OTTAWA, TODAY — Mr. Stéphane Ouellette, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Merchant Navy Commemorative Theme Project (MNCTP), today observed India’s 63rd National Maritime Day, celebrated annually on April 5, and reaffirmed MNCTP’s commitment to advancing recognition of September 3 as a United Nations International Day of Remembrance for the Merchant Navy, past, present, and into the future.

India’s National Maritime Day commemorates the 1919 maiden voyage of the S.S. Loyalty, a milestone in the country’s modern maritime history. The observance also underscores the importance of preserving the link between the present-day shipping industry and its historic legacy, while educating the international community about the continuing role of trade and travel by sea in global security, defence, and the economy.

The MNCTP also acknowledges the longstanding friendship and support extended by the Republic of India to Canadian and Allied Merchant Navy remembrance efforts, including the participation of Her Excellency Shyamala Cowsik in the Merchant Navy Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on September 2, 2005. In keeping with the conviction that we leave no one behind, the MNCTP further proposes this year to honour the more than 2.5 million Indians who served during the Second World War — a force widely recognized as the largest volunteer army in history.

Launched in 2015, OpUNITY reflects the MNCTP’s effort to strengthen remembrance and build a more unified framework around Merchant Navy Day, September 3. As part of this effort, seven provinces have already issued formal September 3 proclamations, with the broader goal of commemorating Merchant Navy Day in every provincial and territorial capital and ultimately at every cenotaph across Canada. This year, the MNCTP also proposes to recognize the individuals, departments, agencies, and nations whose support has helped make Merchant Navy Day the success it is today, reflecting more than twenty years of support excellence.

The MNCTP’s broader framework is grounded in the fact that September 3 is officially recognized in Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia. From that foundation, the MNCTP is advancing the case for recognition by the United Nations, while seeking to engage primarily those nations that have already acknowledged Merchant Navy Day, or that observe a National Maritime Day, including the United States, India, and China, through shared maritime and veterans’ themes, alongside the International Maritime Organization (IMO). In this spirit, the MNCTP seeks a United Nations–International Maritime Organization resolution declaring September 3 an International Day of Remembrance — honouring the past, recognizing the present, and carrying that legacy into the future.

The MNCTP further notes the importance of aligning this effort with the wider maritime calendar, including United States National Maritime Day, National Maritime Day in India, IMO’s Day of the Seafarer, China National Maritime Day, and IMO World Maritime Day. Together, these observances underscore the global importance of maritime service, remembrance, and international co-operation.

By observing India’s National Maritime Day, the MNCTP reaffirms its commitment to honouring the fallen, committed to the care of the living, while promoting a fuller understanding of the enduring importance of the maritime sector to peace, prosperity, and international stability.

About the Merchant Navy Commemorative Theme Project

The Merchant Navy Commemorative Theme Project is a Canadian-led remembrance initiative dedicated to honouring the service and sacrifice of the Merchant Navy and Allied Merchant Mariners, while advancing public education, commemorative programming, and international collaboration in support of maritime heritage and remembrance.