Admirals of the Ocean Sea

I had the privilege of attending the annual AOTOS (Admiral of the Ocean Sea) Award Dinner in New York City last Friday. Hosted by the United Seamen’s Service, the honorees were Niels M. Johnsen, Chairman & CEO of International Shipholding Corporation; Captain Robert E. Johnston, Senior Vice President of Overseas Shipholding Group, and the Honorable Mary L. Landrieu, U.S. Senator from Louisiana.

Over 1,000 of the maritime sector’s top executives attended the black-tie event at the Sheraton New York in Times Square to honor the U.S. Merchant Marine and the thousands of workers employed in the maritime industry. For more than 70 years the United Seamen’s Service (USS) has been dedicated to the needs of seafarers whose life is filled with solitude, loneliness, and long separations from loved ones. In 2011 more than 160,000 seafarers visited the six USS centers overseas, which provide international communications, currency exchange and shuttle services in the ports as well as a safe and welcoming haven for seafarers of all nationalities.

USS has long been committed to promoting the ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 – “The Seafarers Bill of Rights” – which received final ratification this year and will take effect next August.  Meanwhile, USS has assisted the U.S. Merchant Marine serving in the line of duty to support U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan including those working on USN Ready Reserve Force ships, MSC vessels and U.S. flag ships.

While the U.S. maritime sector honored the recipients of the 2012 AOTOS Award, the industry today is dealing with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and the death and destruction left in its path only 48 hours later. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of those suffering today as a result of this tragedy. – MarEx