Captain Ian Finley receives IMO International Maritime Prize
Captain Ian Finley selected as the recipient of the prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2023.
Captain Ian Finley, Permanent Representative of the Cook Islands to IMO, has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious International Maritime Prize for 2023.
The International Maritime Prize is awarded annually by IMO to the individual or organization judged to have made a significant contribution to the work and objectives of the Organization.
As a delegate to IMO, representing Panama and latterly the Cook Islands, he has been an active participant in the development of virtually all safety, environmental and legal legislation adopted by the Organization since 1995.
In its statement supporting his nomination for the prize, the Government of the Cook Islands cited Captain Finley’s longstanding work as a delegate to IMO for more than three decades. He is “a stalwart of Diplomatic Conferences, always striving for consensus and, when necessary, helping to facilitate the compromises required”.
He is an ex-mariner with “an understanding of and empathy for the challenges that continue to be faced by seafarers and the obligations of all to ensure their training, safety and wellbeing”.
Captain Ian Finley, a Master Mariner, began his career in 1961 as a Midshipman with Alfred Holts, later transferring to the Athel Line, where he rose to Captain. Coming ashore in 1982, he worked in ship operations and senior management, co-founding the International Parcel Tankers Association in 1987.
He advised Panama’s delegation from the early 1990s, eventually becoming Head of Delegation. He then helped the Cook Islands join the IMO in 2008 and has since served as their Ambassador and Permanent Representative, advocating for Small Island Developing States.
Captain Finley has also represented at IMSO, IOPC, and OPCW. A Governor of the World Maritime University since 2016, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship and received the U.S. Coast Guard’s Distinguished Public Service Award in 2023.
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