Anneliese Jost has been presented with the prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2022.
Ms Jost was honoured at the annual IMO Awards Ceremony, held in London on 27 November. The ceremony followed the first day of the 33rd session of the IMO Assembly (A33) which is taking place 27 November to 6 December.
Ms Jost was nominated for the award by the Federal Republic of Germany for her contribution, in particular, to maritime safety. The International Maritime Prize has been presented annually since 1981 to an individual or organization considered to have made a significant contribution to the work and objectives of IMO.
During her distinguished maritime career, after graduating in mechanical engineering with a specialisation in shipbuilding, Ms Jost was Chair of the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment, and on Ship Design and Construction, a role she held for an impressive 10 years.
Before handing Ms Jost the silver dolphin trophy, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim remarked on how valuable her immense technical expertise in the field of maritime safety had proven to IMO, and he commended her “deft” chairing of the IMO technical sub-committees.
Addressing Ms Jost, Mr Lim said:
“Anneliese, your impact on the maritime world and on IMO’s work has been outstanding. It is my utmost pleasure to extend my heartfelt congratulations and present you with this year’s prestigious International Maritime Prize.”
Ms Jost thanked the IMO Council for selecting her as the recipient of this year’s Prize and expressed her gratitude to colleagues for their support over the years. She highlighted the challenges she had faced in the early years of her career as a female engineer in the maritime field.
Anneliese Jost went on:
“Eventually, Member States began to elect female officers in IMO. These days, officers are elected without consideration of gender. I hope this attitude will continue throughout all ranks in future, including for the Secretary General, while IMO continues to play its vital role to facilitate global trade.”
A special certificate was presented to the widow of the late Captain David Bruce, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to IMO, whose death was announced in October, in recognition of his work with IMO.
Photo source: IMO