The 2009 International Maritime Organisation (IMO)| awards for Exceptional Bravery at Sea have been presented to a professional rescue swimmer who, in Arctic conditions, single-handedly rescued eight crew members of a foundered vessel in the Bering Sea, and to two amateur sailors who rescued three people from a sunken yacht in very heavy weather off a remote South Pacific coral reef.
This year’s bravery award was won by Aviation Survival Technician Second Class (AST2) Abram A. Heller who is a professional rescue swimmer with the United States Coast Guard.
According to IMO, in the early hours of 23 March 2008, in arctic weather conditions, he single handedly rescued eight crew members of the foundered F/V Alaska Ranger. “Having plunged into the waters to rescue survivors, he then gave up his place in the rescue helicopter to enable five rescuees to be taken to safety and waited on a life raft for over one hour for the return of the helicopter, with three further rescuees whom he had pulled into it. In so doing, he was deemed to have acted over and above the standard expected of a professional rescuer, particularly on his first deployment. He was nominated for the Award by the United States.
The award also went to a couple; Mr. Maurice Conti and Mrs. Sophie Conti who were sailing their yacht Ocealys in the South Pacific with their young family when they heard a late night distress call from the yacht Timella, which had struck a reef, two and a half hours sailing time away. The Contis made contact with authorities in New Zealand and Fiji but, in the absence of marine or aviation rescue assets being immediately available, they planned and executed themselves the rescue of the three Timella crew members, in the early morning of 13 October 2008, exposing themselves to considerable risk. The Contis, United States citizens, were nominated for the award by New Zealand.
Other categories of awards include: Certificates for Exceptional Services Rendered to Shipping and Mankind a swell as issuing Certificates to highly commended nominees
In a linked ceremony, awards were presented to the Commanding Officers, Officers, Petty Officers and Crews of navy ships (from EU and NATO member countries and several other individual countries from various regions), which have participated in the international efforts to repress piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden.
In addition to the Bravery Awards themselves, certificates were also presented to the following "highly commended" nominees or their representatives while letters of commendation were also given to some persons.
Discussion about this post