VOS Program Awards

Accepting the second consecutive annual award for M/V Horizon Producer of Horizon Lines are Captain Don Cocozza (left), Captain Bill Boyce (center), Chief Mate Chris Danilek (right). Not pictured are Second Mate Bob Anderson and Third Mate Mark Harris. The US VOS program congratulates them on a job well done!
	Second Mate David Allen of the Horizon Anchorage received their 2004 VOS Award while in the Port of Anchorage on March 27, 2005. The Horizon Anchorage was the number one container ship in the Pacific for 2004 with 1,321 observations. They were the number one Horizon ship for 2004 (excluding the Horizon ship that had an automated observing system.) This is an all time new record for the Horizon Anchorage and is 57% higher than their 2003 total.
Master Yuri Lazorkin (on right) and Chief Officer Dmitry Petrov (on Left) of Unicom's M/T Barents Sea accepted an annual VOS Award for 2004 on behalf of the company and crew. The Barents Sea took almost 500 observations in less than 10 months. Not pictured are Second Officer Vladislav Turukin, Third Officer Sergy Komissarov and Third Officer Vladimir Lomanov. Thanks! Congratulations to the company and crew!! Keep up the great work!
	Captain Gordon Gimball (left) and Chief Mate Mike Parr (center) accepted the 2004 VOS Award for outstanding performance on behalf of the crew of the Horizon Hawaii from New York PMO Jim Luciani (right.) The Hawaii of Horizon Lines continued their tradition of outstanding observation support (garnering their second consecutive award) by taking nearly 800 observations during 2004. Photo courtesy of Cadet Tom Hamilton.
The Horizon Discovery received a 2004 VOS Award. Pictured left to right receiving the award are Third Mate John Sullivan, Chief Mate Dan Corn, and Captain John Hess.
	Captain Peter A. Sarandinaki (on left) and Captain John F. Kihm (on right) received a 2003 VOS Award for the Horizon Crusader .
A 2004 VOS Award was presented to the Horizon Crusader. Pictured Left to right receiving the award are Third Mate Richard Erbe, Chief Mate Don Josberger, Third Mate George Hight, Captain John Kihm, and Captain Peter A. Sarandinaki.
	The Sealand Motivator received their third consecutive VOS Award for 2004. Captain John Finney (right) and Second Mate Geoff Bird (left) are shown receiving this award. The crew of the Sealand Motivator provided over 800 quality marine weather observations in 2004, in addition to taking upper air observations. The National Weather Service and NOAA thank both Masters and Mates on the Sealand Motivator.
The Maersk Carolina received a VOS Award for outstanding performance. Receiving the award is, left to right, Chief Mate Eric Axelsson, Captain John Petronio, and Second Mate Chris Weigler.
	Pictured on the left is Captain Bob Ramsey and on the right is Chief Mate Brad Goodwin of the Horizon Tacoma. They received the 2004 VOS Award while in the Port of Anchorage on April 3, 2005. This ship took 625 weather observations for the year 2004.
The Duncan Island received a 2004 VOS Award. Pictured left to right are Third Officer Ariel Cabezas, Chief Officer Stanko Zloic, and Second Officer Nikola Matic.
	Captain Michael Leveille of E-Ships Enterprise proudly accepted the 2004 VOS Outstanding Performer Award on behalf of the company and crew. This is the second consecutive award for Enterprise, who took over 600 weather observations in 2004. The ship is also an active participant in AOML XBT program. Congratulations.
The Barrington Island received a 2004 VOS Award. From left to right are GPD2 Al Maquiling, Second Officer Ricardo Pajunar, Master Zoran Juretic, and Chief Officer Dani Batica.
	Capt Robert Strobel and Capt John Farmer of the Lykes Navigator were presented the 2004 VOS Award for the second consecutive year. The Lykes Navigator provided 1081 quality marine observations, an increase of 300 observations from the previous year. Not pictured is 2nd Mate Tom Lewis who provided significant contributions to the success of the program.
The NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter received a VOS Award. Pictured left to right, ENS Jonathan Taylor, CO CDR Jim Meigs, XO LT Mike Ellis, ENS Tony Perry III, and centered, Second Mate Miri Skoriak.
	Chris Fakes, Houston PMO (center) presented the 6th consecutive annual VOS Award to the Lykes Discoverer. Accepting the award on the behalf of the crew is Captain Scott Putty (left) and Chief Mate Mary Beth O'Brien (right). In 2004 the Lykes Discoverer provided 1095 marine observations. The National Weather Service and NOAA extend their "Thanks" for the consistent support provided by the masters and mates of the Lykes Discoverer.
Once again, for the seventh consecutive year, the annual VOS Award was presented to the Sealand Integrity. In 2004 the Sealand Integrity provided over 2,500 quality marine observations, nearly 1,000 more than in 2003. Consistency in reporting is extremely important to the Marine Forecast Models. The Masters and Mates on the Sealand Integrity had a tremendous impact on the quality of forecasts and warnings. The National Weather Service and NOAA extends their "Thanks" for the consistent quality support provided by the Masters and Mates of the Sealand Integrity. Pictured left to right are Third Mate Matthew Parker, PMO Chris Fakes, Captain Mike Rausa, Chief Engineer Bill Hall, Second Mate Darren Collins, and Chief Mate Karen Reyes. Not pictured but contributing to the Sealand Integrity's success in 2004 are Captain Wes Winters, Captain Alan Hinshaw, and Chief Mate Bruce Myrdek.
	A "Special Thanks" is given to Captain Wes Winters for the many years he supported the VOS program. His efforts helped marine forecasters worldwide in providing timely warnings and forecasts. Captain Winters recently retired and is "Gone Fishing." He will be missed by all. Fair Winds and Following Seas Captain Winters.
Pictured left to right, First Officer Glen Mollan, Weatherlab Director Liz Williams, and Master Ole-johan Gronhaug receiving a VOS Award for the Explorer of the Seas.
	Pictured left to right are Master Tom Desjardins, Third Mate Matt Michalski, Chief Mate Ian Lawrence, and Second Mate Dave Kramer receiving a VOS Award for the Roger Revelle.
The Liberty Star received a 2004 VOS Award. Pictured left to right are Port Engineer for Liberty Maritime Corporation Jerry Curtis, Second Mate Lawrence Wolff, PMO New Orleans Paula Campbell, Capt Rick Danahy, Third Mate James Passeretti, and Chief Mate Gerard Dundon. Thanks to all the MEBA mates who contributed to weather reporting aboard the M/V Liberty Star.
	LCDR Phillip A. Gruccio (right) and First Officer Stephen P. Wagner (left) accepted a 2004 VOS Award for the NOAA Ship Delaware II. This ship took over 950 weather observations during 2004. Congratulations on a job well done!
The M/V Selma Kalkavan received a VOS Award. Pictured left to right are relief Chief Mate Ahmet Efe, Chief Mate Gultekin Ergunay, Second Mate Ozan Koseoglu, Captain Hayri Afkan, and Third Mate Barbaros Kalkavan.
Pictured above on the left is Chief Mate Stephen Faust and on the right is Captain Bernie Meier of the Crowley Tug Sinuk. They received their third consecutive VOS award while in the Port of Anchorage, Alaska on May 17, 2005. The crew of the Sinuk took 1,016 weather observations in 2004 while operating in the Alaskan waters.
The crew of the Lykes Liberator received their second consecutive VOS Award for outstanding performance in Marine Observations for 2004. They provided over 1120 observations in 2004, which more than doubled their 2003 performance. The crew has not slowed down in 2005, already providing over 860 observations through May. The National Weather Service and NOAA extends their special thanks to the Masters and Mates of the Lykes Liberator for their continuing outstanding support. Pictured left to right (front) C.E. Bonilla, AB; M.R. White, O.S.; A. Brown, Dk Util; N. Dandapani, Dk Cadet; (back) Captain D.A. Sulin; H. Brown, AB; Chief Mate S.T. NcNeice (holding plaque); Second Mate R.F. Warren; Third Mate B.R. Hager. Also deserving mention for their help over the past year is Chief Mate D.J. Martin, Chief Mate R. Beauregard, Second Mate J.M. Cox, Third Mate K.P. Corrigan, Third Mate T.M. Battles, Second Mate D. Duzich, Chief Mate A.D. Rodriguez, and Third Mate J.M. Burnett.
	The Westwood Victoria was given a 2004 VOS award for their dedicated service. Pictured left to right are Third Mate Himanshu Kaushal and Captain Atul Baijal.
The Westwood Marianne captured a 2004 VOS Award for their valuable weather observations while crossing the Pacific Ocean. Pictured left to right are Captain Ronelo Ledesma, Chief Mate Rodolfo Robles, and Third Mate Louie Peter Amedo.
	Captain Jack Hearn of the North Star received the 2004 VOS award while in the Port of Anchorage on June 7, 2005. The North Star took 979 weather observations in 2004, which was their first full year in the VOS program after being commissioned in 2003. The North Star had the most observations of any ship in the Tote fleet.
The LNG Polar Eagle received a 2004 VOS Award while at Nikiski, Alaska on May 27, 2005. The Polar Eagle set a new all time record for the most marine observations in one year with 2,232. This was 31.8% more than they took in 2003. Pictured left to right, receiving the award, are: Second Mate Carmelo Bagnato, Chief Mate Luigi Colelli, Captain Gaetano D'Agostino, and Second Mate Francesco Caccamo.
	Crowley Marine Services is one of the top supporters of the National Weather Service in Alaska. In 2004, the tug Seneca set a new all time Crowley record with 1,219 weather observations. The top 6 Crowley tugs for 2004 and their number of observations taken are: 1. Senneca - 1,219 2. Sinuk - 1,016 3. Sioux - 695 4. Sea Prince - 487 5. Guardsman - 421 6. Navigator - 300 This photo was taken at the Crowley office in Anchorage, Alaska on June 14, 2005. Due to scheduling issues, the tug Senneca and the tug Sioux were unavailable for a ship board photo, so the VOS Award presentation was made at the Crowley office.
Pictured are Paul Dornfeld (left) and Charles Parish (right), both captains of the Seabulk Montana. They received their 2004 VOS Award while at the Port of Anchorage on June 14, 2005. The Seabulk Montana took 1,321 weather observations in 2004, which placed them among the top 7 vessels in the National Weather Service Voluntary Observing Ship Program. In addition, the crew provided valuable ice observations, ice conditions, photographs, and sea water temperature observations from Cook inlet, Alaska. This was their 4th consecutive year to win the prestigious VOS Award. The Seabulk Montana has a home port of Nikiski, Alaska and is under contract to Cook Inlet Spill Prevention & Response, Inc.
	Captain Ron La Barre of the Midnight Sun received the 2004 VOS award while in the Port of Anchorage on June 12, 2005. The Midnight Sun received their first VOS Award while having their best year with 801 observations.
The Alaska Marine Highway Ferry Tustumena received a 2003 VOS Award. Pictured left to right are Captain Bob Ruger, Chief Mate Scott Merrill, and Second Mate John Maher.
	Pictured left to right are Chief Mate Paul Savasuk and Third Mate John P. Rawley as they receive the 2004 VOS Award for the Horizon Challenger.
Pictured on the left, PMO Jack Warrelman presents the 2004 VOS Award for the El Yunque to Captain Lou Hartman, center, and Third Mate John McParland, left.
	Pictured left to right are Second Mate Ted Duke, Captain James Balano, and Third Mate George Leonov as they receive the 2002 VOS Award for the Overseas Joyce. Not pictured is Chief Mate Matt Pouliot.
Pictured left to right are: Chief Mate Ciro Lrenzano, Captain Maruo Bianco, and Second Mate Luigi Staiano of the Arctic Sun receiving their 2004 VOS Award while at Nikiski, Alaska on June 10, 2005. The Arctic Sun set a new all time record for their most observations in one year with 2,151. This was 22.3% more than they took in 2003.
	Accepting the VOS Award for the NOAA Ship Albatross IV are ENS Dan Orr (left) and ENS Patrick Murphy (right.)
Sea Coast Towing has become one of the top supporters of the VOS Program in Alaskan waters. For the period January 1 through June 30, 2005, Sea Coast had 2 tugs among the top 10 vessels in the entire VOS Program. Pacific Raven is ranked 7th with 825 observations, and Pacific Challenger is 8th with 789 observations. The Pacific Challenger was ranked 1st in the VOS Program for 2004 among non-automated vessels with 2,603 observations. The Pacific Raven had 113 for 2004, but has jumped up to 825 observations for 2005 in just 6 months of time. Pictured on the left is Pacific Raven Captain Pete Pawlicki along with Chief Mate Jacek Sidorski while at the Port of Anchorage on July 12, 2005.
The NOAA Ship Oregon II recently received a VOS Award. Pictured left to right (front row) Leonard White, Tim Burrell, and ENS Paul Hemmick, (back row) Robert Coleman, ENS Collin Little, LT Jeremy Adams, and Jim Rowe.
	Captain Stephen Lundgren of the Crowley Tug Sea Prince received their 2004 VOS Award while in the Port of Anchorage on July 6, 2005. The Sea Prince took 487 observations in 2004, which was their most ever. This was the first VOS Award for the Sea Prince.
The vessel Sealand Pride was presented the 2004 VOS award for the second consecutive year. In 2004 the Sealand Pride provided over 820 quality marine observations, an increase of 170 observations from the previous year. Pictured left to right are Second Mate Al Albertelli, Chief Mate Bill Skye, Captain Pete Mitchell, and Third Mate Joe Tate. Not pictured but deserving recognition is Captain Brennan.
	The Bernardo Quintana A received a VOS award. Pictured left to right, receiving the award, are Captain Allwyn Phillips, Chief Officer Chandra Sekhar Guddati, Addl Second Officer Siddarth V. Kadan, and Second Officer Eldon J. Baptist.
Mr. Hans J. Fangmeyer, Senior Fleet Manager (left) and Mr. Ole Raatz, Operations Manager (right), of Alpha Ship GMBH accepted an award in March 2005, from the NOAA/AOML Global Ocean Observing Systems Center recognizing Alpha Ship for their outstanding support of scientific sampling from their Voluntary Observing Ship Fleet. The award was presented by Mr. Steven K. Cook, Chairman-Ship of Opportunity Implementation Panel.

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