The U.S. maritime industry publicly recognized the merchant mariners responsible for safe vessel operations at the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) Annual Safety Awards Dinner held at the Hilton Riverside Hotel in New Orleans on May 4, 2026. The event recognized 1,157 vessels with 8,075 cumulative years of accident-free operation. USCG Rear Admiral Will Watson, Commander, Heartland District, joined seafarers, CBP, industry executives, vessel owners, operators, and charterers to celebrate 39 companies and their subsidiaries who received awards at the annual industry-sponsored event. ABS, AET Inc. Limited; American Maritime Officers (AMO); bp; Chevron Shipping; ConocoPhillips; Crowley Maritime Corporation; Fairwater Tankers; IRI/The Marshall Islands Registry; Keystone Shipping; Lloyd’s Register; Motiva; RINA USA Inc.; Shell; and TOTE services sponsored the event. Five vessels were recognized with ship safety achievement awards for their participation in rescue and recovery operations.
In his opening remarks, Sean Kline, CSA’s President and CEO said: “Safe operation is critical to the success of our industry. As a staunch advocate for safety across the industry, CSA is proud to publicly recognize the skills and dedication of the women and men at sea and shoreside who tirelessly strive for the safety of all onboard, and whose actions to support safety are keeping with the highest traditions of the sea – aid to those in peril.”
CSA’s awards programs are open to all companies in the industry. Two different awards are given at the annual Safety Awards Dinner – the Jones F. Devlin Safety Awards for safe vessel operation, and the Ship Safety Achievement Awards. This was the fifty-eighth anniversary of both safety award programs. The five vessels recognized with ship safety achievement awards hail from Crowley Maritime Corporation, Crescent Towing, Schuyler Line Navigation Company, and SpaceX. Details on their heroic actions can be found at: https://csashipping.org/2026-ship-safety-awards/.
The Chamber of Shipping of America represents companies that own, operate, or charter U.S. and foreign flagged oceangoing tankers, container ships, and other merchant vessels engaged in domestic and international trades along with other entities that maintain a commercial interest in the operation of such oceangoing vessels. For more information on CSA, please visit https://csashipping.org. Membership inquiries may be directed to Sean Kline at SKline@CSAShipping.org.
Please click the image below to see pictures from the event.
