The judging panel of experts and industry thought-leaders focused on selecting companies with exceptional success stories in facing COVID-19, to present their best practices as benchmarks to the maritime sector regionally and globally

Finalists of the Seatrade Maritime Awards Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa 2020 have been announced. This is the first virtual version of the largest and oldest regional event the marine industry awaits every year and comes in one of the most challenging times the global economy has ever faced.

The expert judging panel consisting of industry thought-leaders and CEOs of major maritime companies focused on success stories that have helped companies overcome the impact of the crisis and move towards a speedy recovery, achieving growth and business development in the post-COVID era.

This year’s Seatrade Maritime Awards categories were revised to take into consideration the innovative solutions companies have achieved during these unprecedented times and promote the adoption of the best practices and help present the finalists’ successes as benchmarks to all stakeholders in the maritime sector.

All the finalists share a commitment to sustainability in their business models, strengthening the role of the maritime industry as a key partner in developing societies and ensuring responsible economic development to achieve the goal of green and smart shipping.

This is the list of 2020 finalists and their initiatives that qualified them to reach this rank:

Pandemic Response Award

• Abu Dhabi Ports
• Aries Group of Companies for Aries Group Pandemic Response for the Maritime Community
• ASRY
• Bahri
• Drydocks World Dubai for its Pandemic Response by DDW – Testimony of Resilience and Agility in Managing Crisis
• GAC Group
• Sharaf Shipping Agency

Sustainability Award

• Aries Group of Companies for its Aries Green Solutions
• GMS for its Innovative ways towards Sustainability – Unfolding the Journey of GMS
• OOCL
• Red Sea Gateway Terminal
• The Shipping Corporation of India

Logistic Solution of the Year Award

• Abu Dhabi Ports for its Food Security Program
• DP World, UAE Region for its Ecosystem of Digital Solutions
• Indian Ports Association (IPA) [Apex body of Major Ports under Government of India] for its Indian Port Community System – PCS 1x
• LogiPoint
• P&O Maritime Logistics for its Offshore Logistics Platform: A More Efficient Energy Supply Chain

Shipping Company of the Year Award

• Bahri
• Hapag-Lloyd
• OOCL
• The Shipping Corporation of India
• Tomini Shipping
• Tristar Group

Intelligent Shipping Award

• Abu Dhabi Ports for its Maqta Gateway – Vessel Management Solution
• Mariapps Marine Solutions for its smartPAL from MariApps
• OMC International for its Saqr Port – Optimising Port Operations with Dynamic UKC
• SteelCorr DMCC for its Digital Paint Report – AI-Powered

H.E. Eng. Hessa Al Malek, Executive Director of the Maritime Sector at the Federal Authority for Land and Maritime Transport in the UAE, said: “Day by day, we witness the transformation of the Seatrade Maritime Awards Middle East, Indian Subcontinent & Africa, from an annual honouring ceremony to a house of expertise, promoting organisational excellence and best practices in the industry. This is a vital need for the sector, especially in a region with a population of more than 3 billion people, and is the richest with energy, minerals, raw materials and other natural resources. We look forward to this region regaining its trade leadership as it was in the times of the Silk Road economy and the monsoon winds trade. By more adoption of sustainability and digital transformation in the maritime sector, this goal will be achieved soon.”

Chris Morley, Seatrade Maritime, Event Director, said: “During these exceptional times in the maritime industry, the finalists are also exceptional. The long-term goals we seek to achieve through the awards are to support sustainability and smart shipping. These are the two pillars for the maritime industry to move towards the next millennium. Without them, companies will not be able to maintain success and achieve growth.”

Morley added, “It was not a simple task for the judges to nominate the finalists, considering the large number of exceptional entries they had to review. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our judging panel for their time and the great effort they have made to highlight the remarkable successes for the region and the world.”

Dr. Ahmed Yousef, Associate Dean of the College of Maritime Transport and Technology at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Sharjah Branch, said: “Seatrade Maritime Awards’ focus this year on sustainability and digital transformation is a significant milestone in supporting the maritime sector to overcome many challenges. These include increasing operational efficiency and economic returns to face the recession the industry is witnessing as a result of the drop in oil prices even before the pandemic. Challenges also include reducing pollution and harmful emissions to comply with the IMO2020 regulations, and the recovery from the pandemic and the unprecedented shock it caused to the industry. We think that the Seatrade Maritime Awards will play a great role in developing the blue economy in the region. We will provide all our academic and R&D capabilities to support these goals.”

The virtual Seatrade Maritime Awards Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa 2020 ceremony, the first of its kind, will be held on 14 December, where winners in each category will be announced live online during the three-day Seatrade Maritime Middle East (SMME) Virtual 2020 event which will be live from 14 – 16 December 2020.