Maritime Charity Column: looking to a bright future for aids to navigation

World Marine Aids to Navigation Day, held annually on 1 July since 2018, promotes awareness of the importance of marine aids to navigation and the work done by its global membership to improve and harmonise standards worldwide for the efficiency of navigation and protection of the environment.

The focus of the three-day event – which took place in London and Harwich between 30 June and 2 July – was at Trinity House in London. On the day, there were two panel discussions where participants from maritime organisations around the world put questions to a panel of leading technology and maritime experts. The theme for the discussions was the role of physical aids to navigation in a digital future.

Special guests included HRH The Princess Royal – patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board and the Master of Trinity House – and the UK minister for aviation, maritime and security Mike Kane.

As an island nation, the United Kingdom has depended for centuries upon seagoing trade – import and export – for the prosperity of its people; as such, the NLB and Trinity House, along with Irish Lights in Ireland, have long been entrusted with the mission to meet the government’s need for the safe transit of ships and seafarers.

The event included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department for Transport, the IALA World Wide Academy, the Northern Lighthouse Board and Trinity House. This agreement accompanied a generous £200,000 grant from the DfT and a renewed commitment from NLB and Trinity House to provide expert tutors to the academy.

THE MARITIME CHARITY COLUMN is a regular feature in the Nautilus Telegraph. Submissions are invited from a range of organisations by the Telegraph editor.