The United Seamen’s Service’s 40th Annual Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award was presented Friday to Keystone Shipping Co. President and CEO Donald Kurz, and to Ronald Widdows, Group President and CEO of Neptune Orient Lines of Singapore, parent of American President Lines.
The annual AOTOS award is the most prestigious honor bestowed by the United Seaman's Service.
In presenting the award to Kurz, the group highlighted Keystone's role as one of the largest U.S.-flagged fleets and the nearly 100-year commitment of the Kurz family to the maritime industry.
The group cited Widdows' role as an innovator and out-spoken luminary of the shipping industry in presenting him with the award.
The event also honored the United States Coast Guard with a special Admiral of the Ocean Sea Award for its ongoing service to and role in the maritime community.
The United Seaman's Service, a non-profit agency established in 1942 that operates centers in eight foreign ports in Europe, Asia, and Africa and in the Indian Ocean, provides community services for the U.S. Merchant Marine, the American Armed Forces, and seafarers of the world. The agency also provides seagoing libraries to American vessels through its affiliate, the American Merchant Marine Library Association.
