Pride Awards for Turkish Sea Transportation, organized by DenizHaber (www.denizhaber.com) on June 24, were given out in a ceremony attended by Hasan Naiboğlu, Undersecretary of Maritime Affairs. The honors were awarded based on public votes submitted over the internet for Turkish-flag vessels which passed inspections that were held from April, 2007 to April, 2008 according to the Paris Memorandum. The voting featured 218 vessels which passed inspections in the ports of 23 countries and met all the necessary criteria.

Arkas Fleet passes all inspections with flying colors
On the first of the month, readers of the DenizHaber website chose 13 vessels which received the Pride Medal Award, while the Pride Medal Special Award was given to Arkas Shipping, for its nine vessels which passed from Paris MOA Port State inspections with flying colors. The Arkas Marine Fleet was the first fleet ever to have nine vessels get perfect marks on state port controls.

İbrahim Kontaytekin, Arkas Marine Fleet Manager, received the award from Hasan Naiboğlu, Undersecretary of Maritime Affairs. In his speech at the ceremony, Kontaytekin said, “We at Arkas prefer to fly the Turkish flag as we achieve success on international waters. This award proves that we have managed to overcome the difficulties of choosing to fly the Turkish flag, a decision which is also emotionally rewarding. We are also proud to have played a significant role in helping Turkey to move from the “black list" to the “grey list” for the first time last year.”