Joe Hughes to Receive NAMEPA's Lifetime Achievement Award

[By NAMEPA]

The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) is proud to announce that Joe Hughes, Chairman of the Managers of the P&I Club and Chairman of NAMEPA, will receive the 2026 NAMEPA Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes his decade of dedicated leadership and lasting contributions to NAMEPA and the protection of the marine environment.

Mr. Hughes has served as Chairman of NAMEPA for the past 10 years and will conclude his tenure as Chairman this year, turning the reins over to Cargill's Jan-Willem van den Dijssel. His decade of service has been marked by a steadfast commitment to NAMEPA’s mission and a belief in the importance of bringing together the maritime industry, government, education, and environmental communities to advance marine environmental protection and the maritime industry.

Throughout his tenure, Mr. Hughes has helped guide NAMEPA’s continued growth and championed efforts to educate and engage the maritime community. His leadership has helped strengthen NAMEPA’s role as a convener across the industry, creating opportunities for collaboration, education, and dialogue. This comes on top of a lifelong career in marine insurance, with the last 30 years as Chairman of the Shipowners Claims Bureau.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual whose leadership, service, and commitment have made a lasting impact on the marine environment and the maritime community. Mr. Hughes’ 10 years as Chairman represent an extraordinary chapter in NAMEPA’s history and a significant contribution to the organization’s mission.

"Joe is the second Chairman of NAMEPA, following in the footsteps of Co-Founder, Clay Maitland," stated Carleen Lyden Walker, Co-Founder and CEO of NAMEPA. "Joe's vision, attention to detail, enthusiasm and extensive knowledge have been instrumental in guiding NAMEPA from strength to strength. His leadership was critical during the COVID years, as well as navigating the vacillations of the political arena."

Joe Hughes will be honored on October 29th, 2026, in New York City, during NAMEPA’s Annual Conference and Awards Dinner, where he will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award alongside the other recipients of the 2026 Marine Environment Protection Awards (MEP Awards). Held under the theme “Balancing Commerce and Conservation,” the conference will bring together maritime executives, industry leaders, educators, and other members of the maritime community to examine the challenges and opportunities facing the maritime sector and the shared responsibility to protect the marine environment.

As part of the conference program, Mr. Hughes will participate in the Leadership Roundtable, joining fellow maritime leaders to discuss leadership and the future of the industry. The afternoon conference program will also feature Captain Steve Koch, Chief of the Office of Operating and Environmental Standards, United States Coast Guard and a keynote address from Jan-Willem van den Dijssel. Additional details regarding the conference will be announced soon.

For more information on NAMEPA and the 2026 MEP Awards, visit the 2026 NAMEPA Annual Conference and Awards Dinner.