World Maritime Day is observed on September 25. The 2025 theme is "Our ocean, our obligation, our opportunity." This theme underscores the ocean's vital role in sustaining life, livelihoods and the global economy, and emphasizes that safeguarding marine environments is both a responsibility and a chance for innovation and cooperation.

Nan'ao Island, off the coast of Shantou City in south China's Guangdong Province, lies on the Tropic of Cancer and is a key site for offshore renewable energy. In the nearby waters, 116 offshore wind turbines stand in formation, converting sea winds into green energy. By June 2025, Shantou had completed three offshore wind farms with a total installed capacity of about 1.2 million kilowatts, delivering both economic and ecological benefits.

The island is also known for its rich natural environment. The southeastern monsoon in June brings warm, moist air that sustains life from ancient fig trees and newborn black-naped terns to undersea creatures and medicinal herbs, adding ecological value alongside the clean energy landscape.

For more:

Guardians of the blue planet: Protecting Hainan's marine biodiversity