Distinguished Asian shipping players were recognised for their outstanding achievements at the Seatrade Asia Awards 2013 where close to 400 top shipping executives from diverse sectors of the local and international shipping community gathered for a night of celebration at the JW Marriot Hotel in Hong Kong.
Receiving the top honour was Mr Noboru Ueda, Chairman & President, ClassNK, who was presented with the Seatrade Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr Ueda was lauded in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of the maritime sector in Asia, underscored by the impressive growth achieved by ClassNK under his leadership.
Mr Ueda said "As Chairman and President of ClassNK, it has been my mission to ensure that our classification society would make a positive and lasting impact on the maritime industry. I am deeply honoured to receive this award, a symbol that we have achieved some small part of this goal."
The Seatrade Personality of the Year Award, recognising exceptional personal contribution to the industry in the region went to Mr Peter Cremers, Chief Executive Officer, Anglo-Eastern Shipmanagement Ltd. His outstanding contribution to the industry down the years and trenchant views, as well as his company's commitment to the training and recruitment of quality seafarers as an essential pre-requisite for the continued growth of his managed fleet was cited for the award.
Mr Cremers said in his acceptance "Having worked all my life to turn ship management into an essential and respected link of our industry - making sure seafarers are recognised for their professionalism - rather than for being cheaper than the next door neighbour - engaging the industry to turn quality into deeds rather than words, the award is an endorsement of this work, not only for me personally, but also for the group and colleagues I represent".
Also honoured at the Awards was Mr Ravindranath Raghunath, Senior VP and Head of Chartering, Noble Group Limited, who received the Seatrade Young Person of the Year Award, nominated as a leading personality in the chartering sector.
Mr Raghunath said "It is indeed an honour to be recognised by Seatrade for the 34 years of service to the shipping industry. We consider the Seatrade Awards night in Asia the biggest and most relevant event of this nature. So it is indeed a pleasant surprise to be informed that I am a winner as I stand here in front of you to receive this award".
The Seatrade Asia Special Award went to Mr Anthony Hardy, Chairman – Board of Directors, Hong Kong Maritime Museum Ltd, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.
"I am pleased to accept the Seatrade Asia Special Award for 2013 in recognition not only of what my colleagues and I have contributed in creating the new Hong Kong Maritime Museum at Pier 8 but, most particularly, for the manifestation this award represents of all that the HKMM has come to mean for Hong Kong as a whole and to the Hong Kong shipping community, and as its face and anchor in Hong Kong's rich maritime history", said Mr Hardy.
Chris Hayman, Chairman of Seatrade commented on the prestigious evening "Seatrade is delighted and honoured to be able to celebrate the achievements of some of the leading individuals in Asian shipping. This year's Seatrade Asia Awards have once again seen an extremely high standard of entries. My congratulations to all the winners and also everyone who was shortlisted. The evening serves to highlight the leadership and innovation in shipping and maritime that is present in the region today."
Hosted by Sharanjit Leyl of BBC World News, and held in the JW Marriot Hong Kong, this fifth edition of the Seatrade Asia Awards had garnered overwhelming interest across the Asian shipping community. As in previous years, the Awards were adjudicated by an independent panel of judges who are all experienced stalwarts in Asian shipping. Launched in 2008, the Seatrade Asia Awards is organised by Seatrade, the pioneer of shipping award schemes since 1988. The Awards are held annually to recognise and reward achievements and meritorious activities in the Asian shipping industry. The fifth edition of the Seatrade Asia Awards will be held in Singapore on 7 April, 2014.
Seatrade congratulates all winners of the Seatrade Asia Awards 2013:
THE WINNERS
THE SEATRADE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Mr Noboru Ueda, Chairman & President,
ClassNK
SEATRADE PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Mr Peter Cremers, Chief Executive Officer,
Anglo-Eastern Shipmanagement Ltd
SEATRADE YOUNG PERSON OF THE YEAR
Mr Ravindranath Raghunath, Senior VP and Head of Chartering,
Noble Group Limited
SEATRADE ASIA SPECIAL AWARD FOR 2013
Mr Anthony Hardy, Chairman – Board of Directors,
Hong Kong Maritime Museum Ltd
THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING AWARD
Singapore Maritime Academy, Singapore Polytechnic
THE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AWARD
Maersk Line
THE SAFETY AWARD
Keppel Shipyard Limited
THE CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AWARD
Magsaysay Maritime Corporation
THE TECHNICAL INNOVATION AWARD
ClassNK
THE SHIP MANAGER AWARD
Univan Ship Management Ltd
THE LINER OWNER/OPERATOR AWARD
Swire Shipping
THE CONTAINER TERMINAL OPERATOR AWARD
PSA International
THE WET/DRY BULK OPERATOR AWARD
Pacific Basin Shipping Limited
THE SHIP FINANCE AWARD
DVB Bank SE
THE MARITIME SECURITY & SAFETY AWARD
Precious Shipping Public Company Limited
THE CLASSIFICATION SOCIETY AWARD
ClassNK
THE MARITIME LAW AWARD
Ince & Co International Law Firm
THE SHIPBUILDING & REPAIR YARD AWARD
Jurong Shipyard Pte Ltd
DEAL OF THE YEAR
ENESEL SA / Evergreen Group
Sponsors of the Asia Awards include: ABS, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), China Classification Society (CCS), ClassNK, Gulf Oil Marine, Lukoil Lubricants, Noble Group, PSA International, SingTel, Univan Shipmanagement Ltd, Wah Kwong Transport Holdings Limited
For further details on the Awards, visit seatradeasiaawards.com
-- ENDS --
Contact John Foreman, Global Head of Marketing, Seatrade
Email: [email protected]
About the organiser Seatrade:
Established 40 years ago, Seatrade is a leader in maritime and cruise publications, conferences and exhibitions, training, awards and other special projects. Regular events include international trade exhibitions and conferences across all maritime sectors, management training courses for shipping professionals, training seminars for travel agents and maritime award schemes, including the prestigious Seatrade Awards held at the Guildhall in London. Seatrade publications include magazines, supplements and yearbooks, and electronic publications, including daily maritime news provided online by Seatrade Global at seatrade-global.com and a weekly e-publication called Seatrade Asia Week.
Seatrade Asia Week, launched in 2010, is the leading pan-Asian weekly news vehicle recognising Asia's emerging role as centre of the maritime world. Distributed in electronic format from Seatrade's Asian headquarters in Singapore, it includes breaking stories on shipping, offshore and energy-related markets covering all of the region's major shipping nations. Visit seatradeasiaweek.com for more details.
The Seatrade family of maritime events continues to grow and strengthen with a number of key events each year. For full information on our upcoming events visit seatrade-global.com.