Nominations are now open for the Seafarers Awards 2023, hosted by seafarer welfare charity The Mission to Seafarers.

It’s the 6th edition of the annual event, which honours individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to enhancing the welfare of seafarers worldwide.

The awards ceremony will be held on 2 November 2023 at the Fairmont Hotel in Singapore.

“We have moved the event to an even bigger venue this year, as the event has grown considerably since its inception in 2018,” says Jan Webber, director of development at The Mission to Seafarers. “It shows how the industry values the importance of crew welfare. If last year was anything to go by, this year will be even more popular and impactful as we have already secured bookings for 24 tables. We thank Shell and BHP for continuing their Gold Sponsorship of this important event.”

Some of last year’s winners include Capt. Rohit Minocha of Hafnia, who took home the Seafarer’s Award, and Easter Pacific Shipping, which won the Secretary General Award.

The Mission to Seafarers invites individuals and organisations to submit nominations for the following categories:

Seafarer’s Award – The seafarer who has made a significant contribution to welfare at sea.

Shore-based Award – The shore-based person who has made a significant contribution to seafarers’ welfare.

Innovation Award – The company that has embraced a new programme, project, or training which has enhanced seafarers’ welfare.

Cadet Award – The cadet or trainee who has made a significant contribution to seafarers’ welfare at sea or ashore.

Rescue Award – The person or company who has coordinated a successful rescue operation to save lives at sea.

Secretary General Award – The person or company who has shown sustained efforts to improve seafarers’ welfare at sea or ashore.

To submit a nomination, complete the form available on The Mission to Seafarers website. The deadline for nominations is Friday, 14 July 2023.

“We are finding post-pandemic that seafarers continue to face challenges with access to shore leave,” says Andrew Wright, secretary general of The Mission to Seafarers. “We would like to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of shore leave to mental health and wellbeing.

“Taking a short break from the harsh mechanisation of a ship to feel the grass beneath your feet, is unquestionably good for mental health. We urge more companies to prioritise the importance of shore leave. Seafarers have had to cope with many challenges over the past years and still the Ukrainian and Russian seafarers face a fraught and emotional future.

“We help them and hundreds of thousands of seafarers with whatever problems they have – 24/7 in 200 locations. The Seafarers Awards is an opportunity to raise awareness and show appreciation to the individuals and organisations who have made exceptional contributions to improving the welfare of seafarers.”

The 2022 Seafarers Awards ceremony held in Singapore marked the return of in-person events after two years of virtual ceremonies due to the pandemic.

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