ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki was honored by The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), receiving the 2025 Silver Bell Award for lifelong service and outstanding leadership in the maritime industry.

SCI is a nearly 200-year-old charity headquartered in New York that serves and protects the personal and professional lives of mariners and seafarers, both internationally and domestically, by partnering with the maritime industry to ensure dignity within the workplace and a safe working environment for seafarers and mariners.

Wiernicki received the award at the 47^th Annual Silver Bell Awards Dinner in New York City attended by more than 600 guests.

“I am deeply honored and profoundly humbled to receive this award, which has gone to so many outstanding leaders of our industry. To me, safety has never been just a protocol or a checklist. Safety is synonymous with people. It’s about the lives we protect, the families we keep whole and the futures we safeguard. And nowhere is this more evident than at sea. Seafarers are the unsung heroes of our global economy. They brave the elements, navigate uncertainty and carry the weight of the world’s commerce on their shoulders. They deserve not only our respect, but our unwavering commitment to their safety and well-being,” said Wiernicki.

(L to R): Jack Noonan, Binnacle Maritime LLC, Co-Chair, Silver Bell Awards Dinner; B. Buckley McAllister, Esq., McAllister Towing, Co-Chair, Silver Bell Awards Dinner; Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman and CEO; and The Rev. Mark S. Nestlehutt, President and Executive Director, The Seamen’s Church Institute