At the 2016 Lloyd’s List North American Maritime Awards, the captain and crew of Holland America Line’s Veendam were named “Seafarer of the Year” for the rescue of a pilot who ejected from his aircraft in the Pacific Ocean.
The “Seafarer of the Year” award recognizes the skills, bravery and professionalism that seafarers demonstrate daily, Holland America said. On January 25, 2015, Veendam rescued a pilot 225 miles off the coast of Maui, who had to ditch his single-engine aircraft after running out of fuel. The plane had a parachute system and the pilot was able to safely escape into a life raft, where he was retrieved by Veendam.
Also in 2015, Zuiderdam rescued eight crewmembers from a sinking vessel in the Caribbean, while Zaandam came to the aid of seven stranded crewmembers at the Arctowski Polish research station at King George Island in Antarctica.
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