International Maritime Prize For 2018 Presented To Mr. Joseph J. Angelo (USA)

Mr. Joseph J. Angelo was awarded with the prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2018. He is a former United States Coast Guard and International Association of Independent Tankers Owners senior executive whose participation was seen in various meetings of International Maritime Organization (IMO) for many years, offering leadership on several major regulatory developments.

The prize was presented by the Secretary-General of IMO, Kitack Lim at the annual IMO Awards ceremony that was held on 25 November. Mr. Lim talked about the work and commitment of Mr. Angelo for IMO as a technical expert, diplomat and problem solver and also got the nickname of ‘IMO-Joe’.

It was decided by the IMO Council that the Prize will be given to Mr. Angelo in July to honour his contribution to IMO’s work and objectives and to the entire maritime industry.

Mr. Angelo thanked the US and INTERTANKO for the nomination and the Council of IMO for choosing him.

“It has been my distinct privilege to work side-by-side with many exceptional delegates from around the world over the past 39 years – all coming together to create solutions which have resulted in crucial improvements to maritime safety, security and protection of the marine environment. I am proud to have been a part of the progress we made together,” he said.

The Government of US and INTERTANKO nominated Mr. Angelo and mentioned about his constructive and collaborative work with his stakeholders so as to achieve the required results. Mr. Angelo was also an active member of various IMO bodies, especially the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) and the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC). The 13th session of MEPC that held in 1980 was the first one that he attended. After that he has attended all the meetings till MEPC 73 in 2018.

The US Government also mentioned that Mr. Angelo was called ‘IMO Joe’ because of his knowledge, skill and cooperation that he held. He had great respect for the Organization and believed in its missions. He believed that the success of IMO depends not on the accomplishments of some but on everyone’s achievements.

Reference: IMO