The Tribune

US Chargé d’Affaires John Dinkelman officially recognised Bahamian registered companies and ships that consistently demonstrate strong participation in the United States Coast Guard’s Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue system.

The Coast Guard created an annual AMVER Awards Programme as a way of rewarding those ships which remain “on plot” for at least 128 days in a calendar year.

AMVER awards are a tribute to the support of a ship’s crew, management, and ownership, which is integral to the programme’s success.

The basic premise of AMVER is that it serves as a vehicle for mariners to help each other without regard to nationality.

The companies recognised during the AMVER awards ceremony at the US Embassy included Campbell Shipping Company Ltd and Clipper Group Ltd.

Each company representative was presented with a letter of appreciation, a certificate of merit for each ship, and a coloured AMVER pennant, representing a ship’s continuous participation in the programme.

In 2011, the Bahamas received 23 blue pennants, each denoting that a vessel completed its first year of participation and is being honoured for the first time.

Today, more than 22,000 ships from hundreds of nations participate in the AMVER programme.

The global AMVER Centre computer receives more than 14,000 AMVER messages a day and more than 2,800 lives have been saved by AMVER-participating ships since the year 2000.

The US Embassy said the success of AMVER is “directly related to the extraordinary co-operation of ships, companies, search and rescue authorities, communication service providers and governments in support of this international humanitarian programme designed to protect life and property at sea”.