Awards also go to Kuebix, J.B. Hunt, Long Beach community groups, port champions, Sovcomflot, Synergy Group, Thordon Bearings and Worldwide.
The Virginia Maritime Association presented its 2019 Distinguished Service Award to Thomas P. Host III and David F. Host.
Both men joined T. Parker Host Inc. in 1977, serving as the third generation of family leadership.
The VMA said the Hosts “helped lead an already successful and venerated Virginia shipping agency through many years of expansive and strategic growth in Virginia as well as multiple ports across the United States.”
During the VMA’s 99th annual banquet in Norfolk, Va., last week, the men were hailed as effective ambassadors for Virginia’s ports and maritime industry.
The VMA said of Thomas Host (pictured top left), “A tireless promoter of Virginia’s ports at home and abroad and as the honorary consul of Brazil, he has been a valuable representative to one of The Port of Virginia’s major trade partners.”
The VMA said David Host (bottom left), “through his promotion of bulk cargoes, established himself as a champion for navigational improvements in Virginia’s ports, particularly the James River and southern branch of the Elizabeth River.”
The U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (top right) were presented the 2019 Port Champion awards during the VMA banquet.
“Virginia’s ports are an economic engine that relies daily on the hundreds of federal partners that ensure the safety and security of our ports,” the VMA said. “During the longest government shutdown in history, these service members, officers, inspectors and scientists worked tirelessly and without pay from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of commerce through our ports for 35 days.”
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. has been named to the Fortune 500 list for the seventh consecutive year, moving up 41 positions to 354 and making the top 400 for the second time in company history.
“J.B. Hunt is taking on some of the biggest challenges in the industry while maintaining a tradition of providing safe, reliable transportation and logistics services,” said John Roberts, president and CEO of J.B. Hunt. “Our inclusion in this year’s Fortune 500 list demonstrates our commitment to excellence and efficiency as we grow and expand to meet customer needs.”
According to Fortune, companies on this year’s list represent two-thirds of the U.S. GDP with $13.7 trillion in revenues, $1.1 trillion in profits and $22.6 trillion in market value and employ 28.7 million people worldwide.
The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners this week awarded 153 sponsorships totaling nearly $420,000 to promote local groups advancing causes such as the arts, environment, social justice and historic preservation.
Since 2007, the Port of Long Beach has given more than $9 million to the community through its sponsorship program.
Events sponsored this year include the Century Villages at Cabrillo Community Resources Fair, the Khmer Girls in Action Yellow Lounge Cultural Arts Showcase, the Long Beach Playhouse Radio Hour Fundraiser and the Long Beach Veterans Day Parade.
Transportation management system provider Kuebix has been selected by Inbound Logistics as a top 100 logistics IT provider for 2019.
“Kuebix was selected because its solutions solve specific logistics challenges, improve processes and create a ripple effect of efficiencies across the entire enterprise value chain,” said Felicia Stratton, editor of Inbound Logistics.
Dan Clark, founder and president of Kuebix, said he was pleased the company was again named to the top 100 list.
“What sets Kuebix apart is our modular, cloud-based technology that is easy to integrate and scales seamlessly to meet the needs of even the most complex supply chains,” Clark said.
Gagarin Prospect, the world’s first LNG-fueled Aframax crude tanker and owned and operated by Sovcomflot (SCF Group) was named Ship of the Year at the 2019 Marine Propulsion Awards, presented during the Sulphur Cap 2020 Conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Delivered in 2018, the tanker is the lead ship in Sovcomflot’s Green Funnel series of 114,000-dwt Aframax tankers designed to use cleaner-burning LNG as their primary fuel.
Igor Tonkovidov, SCF Group executive vice president and CTO/COO, accepted the award and said, “The successful adoption of LNG as a primary fuel for our tanker fleet has allowed Sovcomflot to strengthen its position as a technology leader of the global tanker industry.
“We strongly believe that LNG is the optimal fuel solution, both technically and commercially, for large-scale cargo shipping in high-traffic emission control areas, such as the Baltic, the North Sea, the Mediterranean and along the Northern Sea route,” Tonkovidov said.
Synergy Group was recognized for its commitment to safety at sea, seafarer welfare and female empowerment in the maritime workforce with the 2019 Seatrade Award for Investment in People.
The judges praised the October establishment of a wellness at sea helpline called iCALL, a nine-language service designed to reduce seafarer suicides and enhance the general mental health of all maritime personnel. The service is available 24/7 free of charge via phone, email and the chat-based nULTA app.
“We established iCALL because so many studies into the psychological health of seafarers have shown that feelings of isolation and depression are common. If you consider that 5.9% of deaths at sea are suicides — and that figure jumps closer to 20% if you add in probable suicides when seafarers have gone missing at sea — then essentially almost one in five deaths at sea is a suicide,” said Rajesh Unni, founder and CEO of Synergy Group. “That is terrible and clearly needs addressing.
“That’s why we decided to create a 24/7 counseling center for all seafarers, not just Synergy personnel. It is also available to shore-based personnel anywhere in the world. These types of problems do not go away when people step off the ship,” Unni said.
Thordon Bearings’ COMPAC seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearing system was presented the 2019 Seatrade Award for Clean Shipping in recognition of the technology’s capacity to eradicate operational oil pollution from ships’ stern tubes.
“Although there has been much focus on air emissions, discharges below the waterline also impact our oceans and seas. Ships using seawater for shaft lubrication rather than oil eliminate the risk of oil discharges and are now widely regarded as a vital component in the fight to reduce shipping’s impact on the marine eco-system,” said Craig Carter, Thordon Bearings’ director of marketing and customer service.
Thordon Bearings said the COMPAC system prevents the leakage of millions of liters of oil into the world’s oceans and reduces ship operating costs associated with aft seals and lubricating oil.
Third-party logistics services provider Worldwide Express recently honored eight freight carrier partners at its annual conference in Hollywood, Fla.
R+L Carriers was named national carrier of the year. Regional carrier of the year honors went to AAA Cooper Transportation, Pitt Ohio, Holland, Central Freight Lines Inc. and Reddaway. Daylight Transport was recognized as asset-light carrier of the year. Receiving special recognition was Estes.
“The 3PL-carrier relationship is unique in so many ways and finding partners that can work together for the benefit of the customer is imperative,” said Worldwide Express Executive Vice President Mike Grayson.
The recognized carriers were selected based on service quality and performance, customer service, claims resolution and overall commitment to partnership.
