At the recent meeting of the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the 2005 International Maritime Prize was awarded to Mr Thomas (Tom) Allan, who until his retirement at the end of 2005 was the United Kingdoms Permanent Representative to the IMO.

Mr Allan was nominated for the award by the UKs Maritime and Coastguard Agency for his long and distinguished career in the maritime industry and his many years of active involvement in the work of the IMO, latterly as chairman of its Maritime Safety Committee. The citation noted that

Tom is a strong advocate of the international character of the Organization and he has used his diplomatic skills, experience and professionalism in his dealings with it.

The International Maritime Prize is awarded annually by the IMO Council to the individual or organization judged to have made the most significant contribution to the work and objectives of the IMO.

John Astbury, Chief Executive of the MCA added his own note of congratulation upon the news of the announcement:

This is great news and much deserved for Tom. I have always admired his personal dedication to the cause of maritime safety over many years. The award also demonstrates the high regard internationally for the UK and its maritime expertise.

Notes from Editor.

1. The International Maritime Prize consists of a sculpture in the form of a dolphin. It will be formally presented to Mr Allan at the IMO Council meeting in November.

2. The winner of the annual prize is also invited to write a paper on a theme relating to the work of IMO. The paper is subsequently published in the IMOs quarterly magazine, IMO News.

3. Other eminent members of the international maritime community who have been awarded this prestigious prize include, in recent years, IMO Secretary-General emeritus Mr William A. ONeil of Canada, Dr Giuliano Pattofatto, former technical director of the Italian classification society Registro Italiano Navale, who was awarded the prize posthumously following his death in March 2001 and Frank Wall formerly of the Department for Transport.

Source: www.mcga.gov.uk