Norwegian Diver Receives IMO Bravery Award for a Selfless Rescue Attempt
The IMO has selected a Norwegian rescue diver who died in action for its annual award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. Chief mate Adrian Willyson Brask of the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue gave his life in attempting to save a child from a capsized vessel last year, a selfless act that will be memorialized with international recognition.
On September 26, 2025, a chartered fishing vessel capsized in strong tidal currents in the Nappstraumen region of Lofoten, a remote archipelago off Norway's Arctic northern coast. In addition to the fishing guide who was operating the boat, there were four adults and two children aboard.
SAR authorities received a distress call and dispatched a rescue helicopter, along with the lifeboat Det Norsk Veritas (sponsored by DNV). Brask, a rescue diver, was a member of the crew.
On arrival at the scene, the lifeboat crew found six survivors atop the hull of the capsized vessel. One young girl was missing.
Brask went into the cold, turbulent waters to search for the child under and near the boat. He conducted a thorough and determined search, but did not survive the attempt himself, and he was recovered from the water unresponsive. He could not be revived; the girl was never found.
Out of 50 nominations for the international award, the IMO Council selected Brask for his "exceptional courage, selflessness and self-sacrifice."
"By knowingly accepting extraordinary personal risk in an effort to save a young life, Mr. Brask made the ultimate sacrifice and embodied the highest traditions of maritime search and rescue service," said IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez in a nominating statement.
Brask will be recognized formally at a ceremony in December.
Multiple nominees will receive letters of commendation, including (among many others):
- Philippine Coast Guard marshals SN2 Nick-Nick S. Udasan and SN2 Ian Glenn B. Morfe, who helped save lives during the sinking of the ferry Trisha Kerstin 3
- Captain Thomas Michael Leaf and the crew of the tanker Stena Immaculate, for their firefighting response when a boxship hit their vessel off the UK
Captain Sachin Kulkarni and the crew of the INS?Trikand, for fighting the fire aboard the tanker Falcon in the Gulf of Aden
- Captain Swadesh Tripathi and the crew of the M/V Maersk Karachi, for recovering nine survivors from a tug in a storm in the Indian Ocean
- Captain Atla Mohan and the crew of the INS Tabar, for a two-day firefighting effort aboard the vessel Yi Cheng 6
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