The prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2006 has been awarded posthumously to Mr. Igor Ponomarev (Russian Federation), who was the serving chairman of IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) at the time of his sudden death in October 2006, age 41, and who had already given distinguished service to the shipping industry in a variety of senior positions both within and outside IMO. Mr. Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, presented the prize to Mr. Ponomarev's widow, Mrs. Elena Ponomareva, during a special ceremony during the 83rd session of the MSC, held in Copenhagen, Denmark.