As every year since 2019, on July 1st we celebrate World Marine Aids to Navigation Day (WAtoN Day) with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of Aids to Navigation to guarantee safe navigation.
Aids to Navigation play a crucial role in ensuring safe and efficient maritime traffic worldwide. Buoys, marine lanterns, rotating beacons, lighthouses, monitoring and remote-control systems, and more guide vessels through inland waterways, seas, and oceans, safeguarding lives and protecting our precious marine environments.
This year, the official celebration of WAtoN Day took place in Genoa, an event organized by IALA together with the Italian Coast Guard, the Italian Navy, the city of Genoa, and the Port Authority of Genoa. The main objective of this event was to disseminate IALA’s technical work and the role of Aids to Navigation in improving global navigation safety. Our Business Development Manager, Sarah Leullier, attended these sessions on behalf of the MSM team along with our partner in Italy.
During the event, “La Lanterna di Genova” was named IALA’s Heritage Lighthouse of the Year, featuring our MBL300L LED rotating beacon installed as a secondary beacon. Attendees also had the opportunity to visit the Palazzo San Giorgio, headquarters of the Port Authority of Genoa, and the Palazzo Ducale, where the event’s gala dinner took place. Presentations on IALA’s technical work and its results were also held aboard the MSC Fantasia cruise. It was a great event to spread IALA’s work and continue raising awareness about the importance of Aids to Navigation for maritime traffic safety.
On Friday, July 5th, the MSM team celebrated WAtoN Day at our headquarters in Spain, enjoying a wonderful day full of memorable moments. We started the day with an exciting dart-throwing competition. The participation and enthusiasm of all team members made the competition very challenging. For lunch, El Salt Restaurant delighted us with a spectacular giant Valencian paella at our facilities, allowing us to enjoy a fantastic team meal.
It was an amazing day where we enjoyed and celebrated together this significant date for the Aids to Navigation sector.
