‘Outstanding leaders’ to be honored by ACMF

David Harding, past president of the Caribbean Shipping Association, is one of three members of the region’s shipping community who are to be presented with Anchor Awards later this year by the American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF).

The ACMF announced on 6 May that it would be honoring three “outstanding leaders in the maritime sector of the Caribbean”. In addition to Mr Harding, they are Remy Vyzelman, president and chief executive of Integra Marine & Freight Services, and Gregory Purdy, senior vice president of operations for Royal Caribbean International.

Hopes and dreams

Dr Geneive Brown Metzger, president and founder of the ACMF, said: “These honorees represent the best of the industry and the hopes and dreams of our future mariners and port professionals.”

The award ceremony is due to be held at the New York Yacht Club on 11 October. Guests will include maritime executives, diplomats and friends from across the Caribbean and the United States including Jamaica, The Bahamas, Barbados, Suriname, Cayman, New York, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey and Washington.

The event is being sponsored by the ACMF with proceeds going to support maritime education and facilities at the Caribbean Maritime University in Kingston, Jamaica.

Roland Malins-Smith, honorary chairman of the Anchor Awards, said: “The maritime sector has the potential to transform economics across the Caribbean region and we must do all we can to support the development of future Caribbean mariners, port operators and industry professionals.”

Mr Malins-Smith, the retired president of Seafreight Line, has been involved in the shipping industry for some 50 years and is a major donor to the ACMF.

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 executivedirector@acmfdnorg or go to the ACMF website www.acmfdn.org.