CASA congratulates first winner of Maritime Cadet Employment Award

Monday, 13 November 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Maritime Standard (TMS) and Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) have collaborated on a unique project to recognise the region’s best maritime cadet through a special employment award. The winner – Isuru Udara Silva, from Colombo International Nautical & Engineering College – was announced at the annual The Maritime Standard Awards, which was held at the Atlantis, The Palm, in Dubai on 23 October.

From left: Clive Woodbridge, The Maritime Standard; Ali Shehab, Kuwait Oil Tanker Company; Isuru Udara Silva; Trevor Pereira, The Maritime Standard

The initiative was the brainchild of the Chief Executive of KOTC, Sheikh Talal Al Khaled Al Sabah, who shared his idea with the TMS Managing Director, Trevor Pereira, around a year ago. Trevor says, “Sheikh Talal’s idea was simple, but brilliant. It was to have a special award for a deck or marine engineering cadet, rewarding a student who had clearly demonstrated an outstanding level of performance over the year. The concept was that the winner would not merely get a trophy, but an offer of employment onboard a ship as an officer with KOTC. This initiative is something really special and unique, that shows Sheikh Talal’s total commitment to the development of young people in shipping, and we were delighted to be able to support it in this way.”

Speaking after the ceremony, Isuru was clearly delighted at the opportunity. He said, “It has always been my passion to work in the field of marine engineering. KOTC is an excellent company and getting this employment award is a dream come true for me.”

CASA, the voice of the shipping industry, hails the initiative of TMS and KOTC, which has helped to demonstrate that the region’s port and shipping sector continues to show innovation, creativity and a determination to succeed in uncertain times. Moreover, it especially leads the way in areas such as environmental protection, corporate social responsibility and security. CASA member institutes engage in the training and development of seafarers while complying with the standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO); and therefore, are recognised internationally. These institutes are equipped with state of the art technologies such as marine simulators and the qualifications are regulated by the Merchant Shipping Secretariat of Sri Lanka.