In conjunction with the U.S. Embassy here, U.S. Coast Guard officials recognized more than 434 ships from 51 Singapore-based companies at an official ceremony celebrating their work in maintaining safety of life at sea. At a ceremony at the Marina Mandarin Hotel Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008, the commanding officer of the Coast Guard's Activities Far East (FEACT) unit, and other Coast Guardsmen, paid tribute to the crews and shipping companies for their participation in the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) System last year. Under the AMVER system, vessels are sometimes called upon by the U.S. Coast Guard -- and other lifesaving organizations around the world -- to render assistance in search and rescue cases hundreds, or even thousands of miles from the nearest responders.