MSC wins Seafarer of the Year in inaugural CrewConnect awards

MSC’s Master Maksym Cherniy has won Seafarer of the Year in the inaugural CrewConnect Global Industry Awards, held at the CrewConnect Global conference in Manila, in the Philippines.

CrewConnect Global, well attended by all involved in crewing worldwide, is an important event for the industry and it launched the Global Industry Awards to mark its 20^th anniversary this year.  

The Seafarer of the Year award is for an active seafarer who has stood out in the last 12 months for making a real difference to the crew and operations on board.

There can be many kinds of incidents on board vessels which require good preparations, procedures and teamwork, including piracy. In March, MSC Maria was pursued and boarded by armed pirates in a speedboat off Nigeria. As the pirates were boarding the vessel, the crew managed to retreat into the citadel and the incident was resolved with all crew and the vessel safe. 

Continuous commitment

The award was received by Prabhat Jha, Group Managing Director of MSC Shipmanagement, on behalf of Master Cherniy. MSC was also shortlisted in two other categories, Safety at Sea and Welfare and CSR.

“I am really proud of the Master’s and crew’s behaviour on the MSC Maria. This is an example of how professional skill and company procedures are important for safety at sea,” said Capt. Gianluigi Aponte, Group Executive Chairman.

“I wish therefore to congratulate Prabhat and the team for the continuous commitment in improving the skill of the crew and for the implementation of the procedures, focused to protect the safety of our crew.”

The award shows how MSC’s systems – the procedures and their very close implementation – ensured that the ship and its crew were safe, Prabhat Jha explained. It also demonstrates the leadership quality of senior officers including Master Cherniy, thanks to a dedicated focus on the leadership development programme for crew.