Stakeholders Laud The Maritime Standard Awards

By Dipo Olowookere

Stakeholders in the maritime industry have commended organisers of the annual The Maritime Standard Awards, which held its fourth edition on Monday, October 23, 2017 at the iconic Atlantis Ballroom, on The Palm.

During the ceremony, a new standard was set for regional awards ceremonies, with exceptional levels of grandeur, glamour and professionalism.

Hosted by well-known Bollywood actress and model, Lara Dutta, the awards attracted a top calibre audience of over 700 executives from across the shipping, ports and related sectors, from almost 70 different countries.

The high profile event, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, celebrated and rewarded the achievements of leading companies and individuals active in maritime fields in the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent.

The Maritime Standard Awards founder and managing director, Trevor Pereira, said: “We were once again tremendously honoured that His Highness has supported the awards. Having the backing of such an esteemed figure shows how well recognised the TMS Awards are, and how the importance of the industry is appreciated, at the highest level.”

The awards demonstrated that the region’s ports and shipping sector is one that continues to show innovation, creativity and a determination to succeed in uncertain times. Moreover it leads the way especially in areas such as environmental protection, corporate social responsibility and security.

In total 29 awards were presented to individuals and companies following the deliberations of the judging panel. Clive Woodbridge, editor of TMS and chairman of the judges, said, “This year we received an all-time record number of nominations, of the highest quality. All the judges were impressed by the standard of entries. It is evident that maritime companies in the region are not sitting back – they are being innovative and proactive. It was difficult to select the winners, and as a result not just those who picked up an award, but all of those who were shortlisted, can be justifiably proud of their achievements over the past year.”

In addition to the awards determined by the judging panel, there were a number of special awards presented by the TMS team for particularly impressive individual achievements. The Maritime Standard Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Sudhir Rangnekar, of Oman Shipping Company; The Hall of Fame Award was given to H.E. Sheikh Talal Al Khaled Al Sabah, chief executive of Kuwait Oil Tanker Company; The Personality of the Year Award went to DP World’s Mohammed Al Muallem; and the Editor’s Choice Award was presented to Richard Briggs, executive partner, Hadef & Partners.

Other awards selected by The Maritime Standard included June Manoharan, managing director of Lukoil Marine, who was the recipient of the Woman in Shipping award, and Amir Hossein Mosadeghi, of Islamic P&I Club, who was named Young Person in Shipping. Omar Abu Omar of Gulf Navigation won the Excellence in Shipping Award and the winners of the Deal of the Year were Abu Dhabi Ports and JOCIC of China for their Musataha agreement.

Trevor Pereira added, “It was a fantastic night of celebration, that showcased the tremendous achievements and progress that is being made in the region. On top of that we raised the bar still higher as far as awards ceremonies go. Once again we showed that we deliver the biggest and best awards for the maritime sector in the region, which is what the industry deserves.”