SAG awards four for sterling contributions to shipping

Mar 28, 2013 News

FOUR persons last Friday evening received awards for outstanding contributions to the shipping industry in Guyana.
The awards were handed over during the Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony of the Shipping Association of Guyana (SAG), held at Le Meridien Pegasus.

From left Andrew Astwood, Leroy Benjamin, Glenis Hodge, Guest Speaker Grantley Stephenson who is the 16th president of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA)., and Richard Van Sluytman.

Among the awardees were Mr. Andrew Astwood for Long service; Mr. Richard Van Sluytman won the SAG Chairman’s Award; Mrs. Glynnis Hodges won the outstanding Woman Business Executive Award Innovativeness and Mr.Leroy Benjamin got the Outstanding Service to the Maritime Industry Award.
SAG said that Long Service awardee Mr. Andrew Astwood had served the Shipping Association of Guyana for seven years, six of them as its Chairman. His business acumen had kept the Association financially viable mostly due to his three decades of experience as an Accountant. He spent most of his career at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation where he acquired extensive knowledge and experience in Maritime Transportation and Logistics.
He is now the acting Managing Director of GNSC, one of the leading Shipping Terminals and providers of maritime transportation and related services.
Mr. Richard Van Sluytman, SAG said, received the Chairman’s Award for the innovativeness his company continues to employ in penetrating maritime markets in the Caribbean and Latin America.
This awardee, SAG said, had known nothing else but Shipping his entire life. As a child he watched his father and grandfather operate their own cargo vessels, called Coasters, transporting general cargo to Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil and the Caribbean islands.
In 1978, he purchased his own Coaster and kept up that service, but the rigors of life on the sea kept him away from home more than his family had liked.
He established a shipping agency – Van Sluytman Shipping – in 1970 and some 17 years later, came together with his partner Frankie Comacho who was also operating an agency. They decided to consolidate under the name Caribbean Shipping.
In 1992 when they took on their first major line, they were incorporated as C&V Caribbean Shipping Ltd.
Today C&V Caribbean are agents for several international shipping lines freighting both break bulk and containerized cargo.
Mrs. Glenis Hodge was recognized for standing out among the few Guyanese women in the local Maritime Industry and for the versatility, vision and outstanding achievements of a female entrepreneur.
Glenis Hodge, SAG said, begun her career in Guyana’s Maritime industry at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation at age 18.
After 10 years she was initiated into the intricacies of international shipping when TECMARINE, an international shipping line came to Guyana in 1994. It didn’t take too much longer for her to grasp the intricacies of serving ports in the USA, the Caribbean and South America.
Just one year after the ownership of TECMARINE changed to Tropical Shipping, she was appointed to the demanding post of Country Manager.
Leroy Benjamin, of Benjamin’s Marine & Salvage Services, was awarded for decades of unwavering commitment to Marine Salvaging and Services in Guyana.
Mr. Leroy Benjamin has a reputation for being the most innovative marine salvager, a reputation which has gone beyond local shores and his skills are called upon in Suriname and across the Caribbean.
He is known for succeeding in bringing up sunken boats and barges in circumstances where reputable salvagers from as far away as North America have failed.
“Benjie’, as he is known, also operates a fleet of tugs and barges ferrying stone and other products around and outside of Guyana. He counts Boskalis, Mazaruni Granite, Toolsie Persaud and BK International among his regular clientele.