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Fedra rescuers honoured
Wednesday 26 November 2008
THE crew of the Spanish helicopter involved in the Fedra rescue has been presented with an award in recognition of their bravery and skill.
When the Fedra ran aground in Gibraltar last month, the helicopter crew defied hurricane winds to fly low over the ship and lift stranded seafarers to safety. They managed to airlift five seafarers but were forced to make an emergency landing after seawater entered the helicopter’s rotor turbines.
A rescue diver was left on the deck and was later rescued, together with the remaining crew, by Gibraltarian emergency services working on land.
Pilot Carlos Riscos [pictured centre], who received the award on behalf of the crew, is a veteran of maritime rescue missions and is fondly nicknamed Black Cloud, because major incidents seem to follow him.
When the tanker Prestige ran into trouble in 2002, Mr Riscos was at the controls of the first helicopter to reach the scene. “By a long margin, the Fedra was worse because of the weather conditions,” he said.
The Silver Anchor award is bestowed by Radio Nacional Española, the state radio broadcaster, and Salvamento Marítimo, Spain’s maritime rescue organisation.
Other recipients this year included the Spanish Red Cross and the state satellite centre in the Canary Islands, both of which play vital roles in saving lives at sea. “They are an honour and an example to us all,” said Merchant Marine Directorate and Salvamento Marítimo director-general Felipe Martínez.
A £3,000 toast in Seafarers Ale
SALES of the Seafarers Ale in the month of September have raised £3,000 for maritime charity Seafarers UK.
Seafarers Ale was available in Fuller’s pubs throughout the UK during September as part of its Autumn Beer Festival and for every pint sold, 5p was donated to the charity. Over 60,000 pints were sold in total.
To coincide with Seafarers Ale going on sale, the charity organised a number of pub quizzes in Fuller’s pubs in London, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Julius Neave
JULIUS Neave CBE, a powerhouse in the marine insurance market, has died, aged 89.
Mr Neave headed Mercantile & General Reinsurance between 1966 and 1982 when he retired.
He joined what was then a small family company in 1938 and, after serving with distinction in the Second World War, returned to it in 1946. Between then and 1982, M&G’s premium income ballooned 30 times over, to £1bn.
Ironically, M&G, founded in 1907, kept out of the marine market when it moved into reinsurance after the Great War. But Mr Neave built the company’s marine reinsurance business over a period of 44 years, becoming a leading personality in the international reinsurance industry.
He held a number of senior positions in UK insurance organisations, and was a fluent and persuasive performer on the conference circuit. A collection of his speeches was published in 1980, including some of his presentations to the International Union of Marine Insurance.
