Safety at Sea International gives annual Amver award

Safety at Sea International magazine announced the winders of the 5th Annual Safety at Sea International Awards at a dinner honoring the winners and nominees aboard HMS Belfast on the River Thames in London on 23 June.

Winners included an antipiracy device that creates a propeller jamming zone around a vessel, an initiative that helps U.K. fisherman to prevent a flooding vessel from becoming a sinking vessel and an advanced crew transfer platform that reduces the need for helicopter shuttling in the dangerous offshore environment.

The six awards were presented by Sir Alan Massey, Chief Executive Officer of the U.K.’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Massey told the assembled guests that he was “a man on a mission to get the public on board on sea safety” and that “the Safety at Sea International Awards are in tune with the MCA’s mission”.

The awards were made by an independent judging panel of experts in the categories of equipment, management/operations, security, systems and training.

Jan van der Tempel, CEO of Ampelmann, winner of the equipment award said, “We've tried to set the standard in safety and this award really fortifies that. It really shows us we're moving in the right direction in innovation and being recognised by our peers.”

“You have to keep safety at the forefront,” explained Martin Shields, European managing director of Applied Weather Technology, the winner of the systems award. “It’s very easy to brush safety aside, to try and make profit, but at sea the first thing you have to do is keep the crew and cargo in one piece!”

“The diversity and ingenuity of the entries this year was remarkable,” said Nick Blackmore, editor of Safety at Sea International. “All of these products and services can make a real difference to the safety and security of life at sea.”

The Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER) award for seamanship was given to the crew of the containership Adrian, owned by Komrowski Befrachtungskontor, for the September 2010 rescue of seven crew members from the skinning general cargo ship Ocean Blue amid severe weather conditions off the Domican Republic. Adrian was selected for the award by the staff of Safety at Sea International in recognition of the seamanship displayed during the rescue.

Safety at Sea International has been the world’s only dedicated maritime safety magazine for more than four decades. The Safety at Sea International Awards are held annually to celebrate the role that safety managers and manufacturers play in saving and protecting life at sea across the international maritime safety market. The magazine is published by IHS Fairplay.

Photo credit: IHS Fairplay