Capt T K Joseph, Indra Nath Bose and Capt Anil Choudhary conferred ‘Sagar Samman’ Awards

MUMBAI : Captain Thanuvelil Koshy Joseph, widely considered one of India’s greatest seafarer mentors and educationists, was bestowed with the ‘Sagar Samman Varuna Award’ – named after Lord Varuna, the Lord of the seas – by the Union government at the National Maritime Day Celebrations on 5 April.

The ‘Sagar Samman Varuna Award’ is the highest maritime industry award in India.

Captain Joseph, 91, was the Principal of Lal Bahadur Shastri College of Advanced Maritime Studies and Research in Mumbai and Captain Superintendent of ‘Training Ship Rajendra’, that has moulded thousands of master mariners. He has also written books on Nautical Studies.

This year is the Diamond Jubilee of the National Maritime Day Celebrations.

Mr. Indra Nath Bose, a Marine Engineer, was conferred the ‘Sagar Samman Award for Excellence’ at the National Maritime Day Celebrations. (On his behalf

Bose was involved in framing the International Maritime Organisation’s Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, and the Carbon Emission Reduction Strategy and regulations at the IMO. He presented India’s stand at the IMO via his submissions related to Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index Calculation guidelines for tankers and bulk carriers built prior to 2013.

‘Energy Efficiency and Ships’ is referred to in most of the universities in the United States providing curriculum in naval architecture and ocean engineering. He has also written a “Guide to Data Collection System -Reduction of GHG Emission from Ships”.

Captain Anil Choudhary was bestowed with the ‘Sagar Samman Award for Gallantry’, in recognition of an exceptional act of outstanding bravery at sea. Captain Choudhary, as commander of the Japanese flagged cargo ship ‘Helios Leader’, was instrumental in rescuing 303 people aboard a disabled boat in the South China sea on 7 November 2022.