Bravery at Sea
IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea
This annual award was established by the Organization to provide international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment.
2011 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea: nominations must be submitted to reach IMO by 15 April 2011
Nominations are scrutinized by an Assessment Panel made up of members of non-governmental organizations* in consultative status with IMO, under the Chairmanship of the Secretary-General.
Subsequently, a Panel of Judges meets (under the Chairmanship of the Chairman of the Council, with the participation of the Chairmen of the Marine Environment Protection Committee, the Legal Committee and the Facilitation Committee) to consider the recommendations of the Assessment Panel and to select the recipient of the Award.
The recipient of the Award is invited to a special ceremony at IMO to receive a medal and a certificate citing the act of exceptional bravery performed.
There are three categories of honour: first, the Award itself, for the nominee judged to have performed the most outstanding act of bravery from among those described. Secondly, certificates of commendation are awarded to nominees who have committed acts of extraordinary bravery. And, thirdly, letters of commendation are sent to those nominees who are judged to deserve some special recognition for meritorious actions.
Past Winners
2010: IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea presented to Mr. James Fanifau, who was, at the time, Fourth Engineer of the Singapore-flagged general cargo ship Scarlett Lucy, received the Award for his part in the dramatic rescue of two survivors, including Dr. Morgan, from the yacht Sumatra II, in May 2009, amid severe weather conditions in the Tasman Sea.
2009: IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea presented to a professional rescue swimmer, Aviation Survival Technician Second Class Abram A. Heller, who, in Arctic conditions, single-handedly rescued eight crew members of a foundered vessel in the Bering Sea, and to two amateur sailors who rescued three people from a sunken yacht in very heavy weather off a remote South Pacific coral reef.
2008: IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea presented to Brazilian seafarer Mr. Rodolpho Fonseca da Silva Rigueira, of the drill ship Noble Roger Eason for his heroic actions in saving fellow crew members from an explosive fire on a ship.
2007: Inaugural IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea presented to Second Officer Mustafa Topiwala of the oil/bulk ore carrier Searose G and Captain Zvonimir Ostric (who was on the vessel as onboard trainer at the time of the incident) for dramatic rescue of Teklivka crew.
