Anchor Awards program clinches major corporate sponsors

The Anchor Awards – sponsored by the American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF) and due to be presented in New York on 18 October – has received a significant level of support from major corporations in the form of Royal Caribbean International, Seafreight Lines Ltd (a Crowley company), Tropical and Saltchuk, Integra Marine & Freight Services and Dennis Shipping.

Dr Geneive Brown Metzger, president and executive director of the ACMF, expressed her appreciation: “That these leading companies have come on board is a confirmation of the importance of the ACMF mission and what we have been able to accomplish on behalf of our beneficiary, the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) and its students.”

Commitment

Presenting sponsor Royal Caribbean’s commitment of US$ 100,000 along with support of the other sponsors will be a game changer for dozens of CMU students who will be able to fulfill their dreams of becoming maritime professionals. The ACMF has contributed US$ 98,000 to the construction of a much-needed lecture theater at the CMU, thanks to major donor Roland Malins-Smith. Partnering with the JWN Foundation in Jamaica, the ACMF has also funded the Dr Fritz Pinnock Scholarships, which recognizes the leadership and commitment of the CMU’s president to his students and to the broader maritime sector. Additional scholarships are due to be launched before the end of the year.

“I am honoured and humbled by the recognition,” says Dr Fritz Pinnock, who cites the ACMF as an important strategic partner that promotes the importance of the shipping industry to stakeholders and the role of the CMU in the industry.

The Anchor Awards will be held at the historic New York Yacht Club in Manhattan on Thursday, 18 October under the patronage of Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness. The Bahamian Ambassador to the United States, Sidney Collie, is serving as the Caribbean chairman, while Ambassador Marcia Gilbert-Roberts, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jamaica, will deliver the keynote address. CMU scholarship recipients will join Dr Pinnock at the event.

Vital role

The Anchor Awards program acknowledges individuals and the companies they represent who have played a vital role in the growth and development of the maritime industry in the Caribbean. The 2018 honorees are Michael Bayley, president and chief executive of Royal Caribbean International; Roland Malins-Smith, founder and retired president of Seafreight Line Ltd; and Rick Murrell, SVP managing director of Saltchuk Resources and chairman of Tropical Shipping. The presenting sponsor is Royal Caribbean International.

The event will be chaired by Vincent DeOrchis, partner in the US maritime law practice Montgomery McCracken, Walker and Rhoads and a member of the ACMF board. He said: “Our thanks to the sponsors for their generous support. The ACMF board is committed to its goal of transforming the lives of talented and deserving youth in the Caribbean. These young people are the future of the maritime industry in the region and we acknowledge our sponsors as vital partners in this endeavour.”

About the ACMF

The ACMF is a US 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt organization based in New York that funds scholarships, programs and facilities at the Caribbean Maritime University. The ACMF is the only entity dedicated to this mission. So far, in 2018, the ACMF has donated US$ 112,000 for scholarships and towards the building of a lecture theater currently under construction at the CMU. The ACMF was founded in 2015 by Dr Geneive Brown Metzger, former Jamaican Consul General in New York. Its board of directors comprises maritime attorneys and professionals, educators and philanthropists.

For information about how to sponsor the Anchor Awards, advertise in the magazine or support the auction, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. go to the ACMF website www.acmfdn.org

Dr Brown Metzger with (left to right) Dr Fritz Pinnock, executive director, Caribbean Maritime University; Mike Henry, Jamaica’s Minister of Transport; ACMF board member James Luce; and Dr Gary Jackson.