Noel A. Hylton (left), president of the Port Authority of Jamaica, accepts the Citation for his Lifetime Achievement Award from SAJ president Harry Maragh, while Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Transport and Works, looks on.
THE BALLROOM of the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel was transformed into a marine panorama of ships, lighthouses, cranes and waves while light played happily upon the walls like moonlight on the night sea.
Such was the maritime mood created by decorator Maureen Capleton for the Shipping Industry Awards banquet to honour the top performers of 2004 and Lifetime Achiever, Noel Hylton, last Tuesday. The occasion also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Caribbean Maritime Institute.
In welcoming guests to the highlight event of Maritime Awareness Week, Harry Maragh, president of the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), expressed his pride in the fact that the awards ceremony, a long-standing tradition of Jamaica's shipping industry, was being revived during his tenure as president of the Shipping Association of Jamaica. The SAJ president added: "But I don't want take all the credit for this (awards banquet) because our General Manager, Trevor Riley, has been the real dynamo behind this event and our members, partners and sponsors have just been magnificent in their support and assistance."
The Bank of Nova Scotia played the role of presenting sponsor for the awards banquet with strong support coming from Kingston Wharves Limited, APM Terminals Jamaica Limited, the Shipping Association of Jamaica and the Port Authority of Jamaica.
The Selection Committee for the Shipping Industry Awards was chaired by R. Danny Williams and included Messrs. Peter Moses and Oliver Jones. Mr. Jones represented the selection committee in presenting their report at the banquet.
The 2004 Shipping Industry Award winners were as follows:
Shipping Industry Personality of the Year: Grantley Stephenson, chairman and CEO of Kingston Wharves Limited.
Manager of the Year: Trevor Riley, general manager of the Shipping Association of Jamaica.
Portworker of the Year: Trevor Walker, stevedore of the Shipping Association of Jamaica.
Administrative Staff of the Year: Dionne Mason-Gordon, executive assistant, the Shipping Association of Jamaica.
Top Advertiser in the Gleaner's Weekly Shipping Feature: Seaboard Jamaica.
Top User of Port Bustamante Exports: Red Stripe.
The Shipping Industry Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Mr. Hylton, president of the Port Authority of Jamaica, by SAJ President Harry Maragh, accompanied by Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Transport and Works, and William Clarke, president of Scotiabank Jamaica. A video documentary highlighting the contributions of Mr. Hylton to Jamaica's maritime sector, with messages from Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, former Prime Minister Edward Seaga and Minister Pickersgill, shown on-screen during the function.
Master of ceremonies for the evening was Gleaner Managing Director, Oliver Clarke, who kept the event moving at a steady pace while maintaining a happy mood throughout. The entertainment provided by Karen Smith and the 50/50 Band was a special treat that included a moving serenade to Noel Hylton by Ms. Smith.
The Shipping Industry Awards banquet was one of a series of national events which were widely anticipated in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, but it is being convened for the first time in a decade. It seeks to recognise best practice in the local maritime sector, and those honoured are considered to uphold the traditions that have made the industry successful.
