Trần Văn Khôi, a member of Regional Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre No. II based in Đà Nẵng — congdoangiaothongvantai.cpm.vn

LONDON — Trần Văn Khôi, a member of Regional Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre No. II based in Đà Nẵng has been honoured with the 2021 International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea.

The award ceremony was held at the IMO headquarters in London on Monday.

He is the first Vietnamese ever to be honoured with the award.

As Khôi could not attend the ceremony in-person due to COVID-19, a short pre-recorded video, showing him and his colleagues braving extreme weather to rescue four sailors in the sunken cargo vessel Vietship 01, was screened at the event.

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim spoke highly of Khoi’s acts, which helped save many lives during an incident in waters off Quảng Trị in October.

The annual award is to provide international recognition for those who, at risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage attempting to save life at sea, or in attempting to prevent damage to the marine environment.

Prior to the ceremony, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim told Charge d'Affaires of Việt Nam to the UK Tô Minh Thu that he hoped Việt Nam would continue to have nominations for the award in the future.

Việt Nam holds huge potential in maritime development thanks to its long coastline, said Lim, affirming that the IMO was willing to cooperate and support Việt Nam.

Thu said that Việt Nam valued maritime economy development and was ready to partner with regional countries in the field, particularly in search and rescue.

She added that Việt Nam was going to run for membership in Category C of the IMO Council in 2023, and hoped that Lim would show his support for the country's efforts. — VNS

Delegates watch a short video on Khoi's brave acts, at the event. — VNA/VNS Photo Đình Thư

Charge d'Affaires of Vietnam to the UK Tô Minh Thu, on behalf of Trần Văn Khôi, receives the awards granted by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at the event. — VNA/VNS Photo Đình Thư