‘No Seafarers = No Shipping = No Shopping’: a message that matters

On the occasion of today’s Day of the Seafarer, María Dixon, CEO of ISM Shipping Solutions Ltd, London, shares the following message:

“In recent years, the phrase ‘No Seafarers = No Shipping = No Shopping’ has echoed across the maritime world—from social media posts to conference speeches. First coined during Covid, its simplicity makes it powerful. But its power comes from the truth behind it: without seafarers, the world stops.



“Back in 2019, long before the pandemic, I shared publicly on LinkedIn the message “No Shipping → No Shopping”, to highlight the invisible but essential role of seafarers in the flow of global trade. Then, during the height of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, I expanded that message to what it is today.



“On June 25, 2020—the Day of the Seafarer—I wrote from the heart about 25 seafarers stranded onboard a ship, cut off from the world, and about thousands of others trapped at sea due to global restrictions. That day, I wrote what had become painfully clear:
No Seafarers = No Shipping = No Shopping



“It wasn’t just a line. It was a cry for awareness, for humanity, and for justice.



“This message has since been repeated, adapted, and embraced by many in the maritime industry. And that’s exactly how it should be. It’s not about who said it first—it's about who carries it forward.



“The phrase reminds us that behind every container, every delivery, every item on a shelf, there are human beings. Men and women who face fatigue, long separations, and increasingly complex challenges, all to keep the world turning.



“This Seafarers Day, let’s not just celebrate their work—let’s continue to stand up for their rights, their welfare, and their dignity. Because global trade cannot exist without them.



“Let’s keep repeating it—not as a slogan, but as a reminder:
No Seafarers = No Shipping = No Shopping.



“And may the world never forget it.”