PPG (NYSE:PPG) recently announced that it granted in excess of RMB 750,000 ($110,000) in scholarships and science and technology innovation funds to more than 200 students from 11 Chinese universities as a part of its 2018 PPG University Talent Power Program.

Celestyal Cruises (“Celestyal”), the main home-porting cruise operator in Greece and the preeminent cruise line serving the Greek Islands and the Mediterranean, today announced it has again won a prestigious Cruise Critic® UK Editors’ Picks Award for Best Service. Cruise Critic is the world's largest cruise reviews site and online cruise community, and its 10th Annual UK Editors’ Picks Awards were selected by a global panel of impartial cruise experts from Cruise Critic – these awards highlight the best ocean, river and luxury cruise lines across dozens of categories. Cruise Critic boasts the world’s largest online cruise community, with more than 350,000 cruise reviews, covering approximately 700 cruise ships and over 500 worldwide ports.

Celestyal was recognized as one of the best lines in the UK, winning Best Service. This award follows Celestyal’s 2017 UK Editors’ Picks Award for Best Service and its four 2017 Cruise Critic Cruisers Choice Awards: two first place awards, for Shore Excursions and Value, and two second place awards, for Service and Entertainment.

“I’m thrilled that our outstanding, authentic, value-for-money Aegean cruises have been recognized for best service by Cruise Critic, and I want to congratulate, and thank, our shoreside operations and onboard officers and crew for achieving this great distinction for our company,” said Celestyal Cruises CEO Chris Theophilides. “Ultimately our onboard staff are the point of contact with our guests and clearly they deliver an outstanding experience. The competition is incredible, and these awards serve to punctuate the positive reviews we continue to receive from our guests. Our goal, as we move toward the 2019 season, is to introduce our cruises to an even larger segment of the global cruise marketplace. These awards give our company credibility and a real pedigree, and we look forward to continuing to raise the recognition of our young brand in the global cruising market.”

The UK Editors’ Picks Awards combine Cruise Critic editors’ impartial cruise expertise, based on first-hand experiences and industry knowledge, to ultimately help travellers select the best cruise choice for them from an increasing number of options.

“It's the little things,” said one cruise expert, “such as your steward making ever more elaborate towel animals because you've mentioned your kids love them, your waiter helping your child carry his plate at the buffet or an excursion team that goes out of the way to tailor an experience for you -- that make a cruise line stand out in terms of service. Sailing with Celestyal is like coming home.”

For the full details of this year’s winners, visit 2018 Cruise Critic UK Editors’ Picks Awards.

Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, Tototheo Maritime Co-CEO has ranked 96 in the prestigious Lloyd’s List Top 100 most influential people in shipping internationally. 

Sovcomflot (SCF Group) has received a prestigious Environment Award – Individual Company at the 2018 Lloyd’s List Global Awards.

A rescue diver from China who made a series of underwater dives to rescue three people from a sunken cargo ship, received the 2018 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea during the this year’s IMO Awards ceremony (6 December).

The prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2017 has been presented to Mrs. Birgit Sølling Olsen, former Deputy Director-General of the Danish Maritime Authority.