Vela Vessels Honored for Safety Record

DUBAI, November 18, 2009 -- Vela Marine International Ltd. announced that 22 of its vessels received the Environmental Achievement Award and 19 of its vessels garnered the Jones F. Devlin Safety Award from the Chamber of Shipping of America.

The environmental award is given to ships for environmental excellence in operations. It requires that each ship demonstrate full compliance with international marine pollution (MARPOL) standards. The Devlin Award is given to ships that complete two years of operations without a lost-time injury

Retired U.S. Coast Guard captain Wayne Hollingsworth, head of Aramco Service Co.’s Environmental Unit, accepted the awards on behalf of Vela

Talal A. Bakheet, Vela’s Operations manager, noted that the environmental certificate indicated that the 22 vessels had operated 146 ship-years without an oil spill or violation. The Devlin Award noted that the 19 Vela recipient vessels had operated a total of 61 ship-years without a lost-time injury.

“If there is a better set of awards to win, these are hard to beat,” said Mohammed S. Al-Gusaier, president and CEO of Vela. “They confirm our commitment to operate safely and without pollution. Our challenge is to sustain such standards and be the leaders in our industry. It’s a record that could not happen without the dedication, commitment and leadership of our captains and crews.”