Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Oman National Hydrographic Office (ONHO) of the Royal Navy of Oman, ton Thursday marked the World Hydrography Day alongside the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and other authorities concerned.
The World Hydrography Day falls on June 21 each year. This year’s celebration is themed “Hydrography - Contributing to the United Nations Ocean Decade”.
The event coincides with the United Nations (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021−2030), in addition to the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO 2030) project, which aims to provide a comprehensive coverage of all the depths in the seas, oceans and coasts of the world to maintain the sustainability and organization of applied ocean sciences to provide the necessary support for blue economy. It also aims to make the economy based on science and knowledge. Marking this day is an opportunity to raise awareness and enhance public knowledge of hydrography and the various hydrographic services provided by IHO.
Since the Sultanate of Oman is part of the world, the Ministerial Decision No (121/2021) was issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources to form a national team to achieve the goals of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021−2030). This team consists of several parties, namely the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Environment Authority, the Diwan of Royal Court, the Royal Navy of Oman, Sultan Qaboos University, and the Environment Society of Oman.
The team undertakes a number of tasks and specializations, such as increasing scientific knowledge of the seas, protecting the ocean environment, supporting the production of necessary scientific knowledge for the benefit of the economic and social sectors, providing data and information on ocean sciences, supporting infrastructure, developing scientific research capabilities through training and transfer of marine technology. The team held its first meeting on September 9, 2021.
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