At the recent annual Amver Awards Ceremony in Hong Kong, Anglo-Eastern was presented with three certificates of merit and a special award in recognition of our many years of supporting Amver, with all 670+ managed vessels presently participating in the system, as well as the dramatic rescue of a lone yachtsman late last year.
This October 18th, the Hong Kong Shipowners Association (HKSOA) hosted the Amver Awards Ceremony over lunch, with Colin Crosby of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong as guest of honour. The annual event is held to acknowledge Hong Kong companies that manage or operate ships participating in Amver, and to recognise those ships that have taken part in Amver-assisted search and rescue (SAR) operations.
Amver is the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System sponsored by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). It is a voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange on-demand assistance for persons in distress at sea. Using accurate location data, the computer-based system allows rescue coordinators to identify participating ships in the area of distress and divert the best-suited ship(s) to respond.
As a longtime participant in Amver, Anglo-Eastern was invited to the luncheon, where certificates of merit were presented to Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, Anglo-Eastern Tanker Management, and joint venture Anglo Ardmore Ship Management for their continued support of the system and participation in life-saving SAR operations in 2022.
Anglo-Eastern Ship Management was also presented with a special Life Saving Award (pictured above) for the notable November 2022 rescue of Tapio Lehtinen (below), a contestant in the solo round-the-world Golden Globe Race who was forced to abandon his sinking yacht in the rough seas off southern South Africa (read the full account in our December 2022 issue of LeaderShip, pp. 28-29).
Thanks to the efforts and excellent seamanship of Capt. Naveen Mehrotra, C/E Bhuvanesh Chandrasekaran, and the crew of MV Darya Gayatri, the Finnish yachtsman was successfully rescued amidst 2.5-metre swells and taken on board, where he was cared for and made welcome until the bulk carrier reached Europe a few weeks later. A dramatic rescue that ended in close bonds between crew and survivor, not to mention the well-deserved recognition accorded by this Amver award!