Tanker industry awards winners look to influence industry's future

The annual Tanker Shipping & Trade Conference & Awards in London ended its first day with a gala dinner where the tanker industry gathered to show its appreciation to the businesses and individuals who are driving the industry forward.

In a crowded field, nominees were shortlisted, and an advisory panel of industry directors determined the winners.

AET Tankers President and CEO Capt. Rajalingam Subramaniam took home the Industry Leader Award sponsored by Clean Marine for his consistent leadership and pioneering role in transforming the industry.

Capt. Raja, as he is known, called on the industry to achieve the at least 50% reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs) target set by IMO.

“We all talk about the IMO 2020 [sulphur cap], but the IMO 2020 is something that we will get over. And the IMO 2050 target of 50% reduction over the 2008 baseline is something as an industry we should aspire to achieve,” he said.

“Shipping on a per-tonne-mile carried basis is the most energy efficient transport in the world, and we should all be very proud that we are environmentally-friendly and energy efficient.”

“We inherited this planet, and we must ensure that we pass on this planet to the next generation in a better space than what we inherited,” he said.

As head of the shipmanagement division of MISC he led the team that transformed MISC into a global leader in energy transportation, and his pioneering approach has continued as AET has embraced LNG as the fuel of the future with Aframax tankers being given a LNG dual-fuel option. AET anticipates that up to half of its Aframax fleet and other petroleum assets, including VLCCs, will also adopt the LNG dual-fuel option over the next few years.

The Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Winterhur Gas & Diesel went to Thome Group executive chairman Olav Eek Thorstensen for a distinguished career in shipping that has spanned some 50 years.

Giving Mr Thorstensen his award, Intertanko environmental director Tim Wilkinson said “He has been a stalwart of Intertanko’s council. It took him a short 15 years to graduate to executive of Intertanko’s council, but finally he’s gotten there.”

As did Capt. Raja, Mr Thorstensen touched on environmental regulations in his acceptance speech, saying “The introduction of the sulphur cap, coming into force from January 2020, will be one of the biggest tests for shipping, both from a commercial, financial and a technical point of view.”

“Questions remain whether there will be enough low-sulphur fuels available at minor ports. It will most likely have a significant impact on existing tonnage. For those owners that choose the scrubber route, there are many considerations to be taken into account, yet time is rapidly running out as the 2020 deadline looms,” he said.

“We see today that more and more owners will see LNG as an alternative fuel for newbuildings, and I suspect most large vessels ordered after 2020 will have LNG or other gasses as fuel.”

In total, Tanker Shipping and Trade gave out seven awards. The complete list is below.

Technical Innovation Award

Winner: DNV GL

Operational Excellence Award

Winner: Bahri Tankers

Environmental Award

Sponsor: ITOPF

Winner: Teekay and Wärtsilä Marine Solutions

 

Tanker Operator of the Year

Sponsor: DNV GL

Winner: Euronav

 

Tanker Safety Award

Winner: Korean Register

 

Industry Leader Award

Sponsor: Clean Marine
Winner: Capt. Rajalingam Subramaniam, President and CEO of AET Tankers

 

Lifetime Achievement Award
Sponsor: Winterthur Gas & Diesel
Winner: Olav Eek Thorstensen, Executive Chairman, Thome Group