Afras News

The captain and crew of Holland America Line’s ms Veendam were honored by the Association for Rescue at Sea with a prestigious AFRAS AMVER Award for the 2015 rescue of a pilot who ditched his aircraft in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. The Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System was implemented by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1958, and the AMVER Awards were created in 1971 to recognize vessels that participate in the program. Holland America Line received the award at the annual Coast Guard Award Ceremony Sept. 21, 2016, at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Veendam’s Captain Eric van der Wal accepted the honor on behalf of the cruise line.

The Association for Rescue at Sea, Inc. (AFRAS) will hold its annual awards ceremony and reception on 4 October 2012 on Capitol Hill. The event will be co-hosted by the Honorable Howard Coble, co-chairman, U.S. Congressional Coast Guard Caucus. AFRAS will award the Gold Medal, the Silver Medal and the Amver (Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System) plaque for outstanding rescues made in 2011. The Gold Medal and a cash prize will be presented to Randall J. Rice, Chief Warrant Officer, US Coast Guard; the Silver Medal and a cash prize will be awarded to the crew of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Facility 25371 and the Amver plaque will go to the Captain and crew of M/V Oleander. Chief Warrant Officer Randall J.

Sea Tow Clarks Hill Lake, S.C. & Ga., Capt. Jon Gridley Recognized for July 4th Rescue. Capt. Jon G. Gridley, co-owner of Sea Tow Clarks Hill Lake, South Carolina and Georgia, was honored with an international life-saving award by AFRAS (the Association for Rescue at Sea, Inc.) at the 25th Anniversary C-PORT (Conference of Professional Operators for Response Towing) Annual Meeting on January 9 at the Grand Hyatt in Tampa, Fla. The AFRAS C-PORT Award, which recognizes extraordinary bravery exhibited by a member of C-PORT during an on-water rescue, was presented to Capt. Gridley and his friend, Jim Masiongale, who also participated in the incident, by Steve Sawyer, president of AFRAS and retired captain, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Search and Rescue, at an awards ceremony on Monday night.

The Association for Rescue at Sea, Inc. (AFRAS) will hold its annual awards ceremony and reception on September 22, 2011. The event will take place on Capitol Hill in Washington, D. C. and will be co-hosted by the Honorable Howard Coble, co-chairman, U.S. Congressional Coast Guard Caucus. AFRAS will award the Gold medal and the Amver (Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System) plaque for outstanding rescues made in 2010. The Gold Medal and a cash prize will be presented to Kurt G. Peterson, Chief Aviation Survival Technician, US Coast Guard and the Amver plaque will go to the Captain and crew of M/V ADRIAN. AFRAS Vice Admiral Thomas R. Chief Aviation Survival Technician Kurt G.

On October 7 in Washington, D. C., the Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS), will award its Gold Medal and a cash prize to United States Coast Guardsman Roman D. Baligad, Aviation Survival Technician Second Class for a heroic rescue on 30 December, 2002. AFRAS will also present its AMVER plaque to the captain and crew of the Japanese-flagged ship M/V AUTOMOBIL ACE for exceptional humanitarian service in a rescue at sea. The award ceremony and reception will be co-hosted by The Honorable Howard Coble, co-Chairman, U.S. Congressional Coast Guard Caucus. The Gold Medal awardee – Roman D. Baligad - is cited for heroic achievement while serving as rescue swimmer aboard helicopter CGNR 6533 out of CG Air Facility Newport, OR.

On 25 August in Poole, England the Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS) will present a new, D-class inshore lifeboat to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of Great Britain. The lifeboat was purchased from funds contributed to AFRAS by American donors supporting the RNLI. The boat will be named “Semper Paratus”. A recognition in part of the close association between the U.S. Coast Guard and the RNLI. The naming ceremony will be held at 1200; the lifeboat will be launched into the water; and there will be a demonstration of her characteristics. The new D-class is an improved version of the Inshore D-Class lifeboat first introduced in 1963…

JJ. Marie, President and CEO of Zodiac of North America (ZNA) has been appointed to the board of the Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS) _ a non-profit organization dedicated to providing much needed support to voluntary lifeboat services all over the world.