Sea

© Vidmantas Matutis photo

Spausdinti   Supplement to article

Klaipeda should start giving awards, related to the promotion of maritime culture. Awards could be given on the European Maritime Day, which is celebrated every year on 20 May.

Strengthen the marine community

Currently, Lithuania has only a few maritime awards. On separate occasions, the Ministry of Transport gives marine transport workers badges of honor. They are assigned to the deserved employees of transport. Klaipeda newspaper organizes annual seafarer’s elections and during the Sea Festival provides him/her with an award prize. Instead of Anatolijus nominations, new Wind Rose awards appeared. As noted by the Marine Cultural Coordinating Council, the event propagating innovations in marine business is not related to the Klaipeda city marine community. There is also an award by the Lithuanian Artist’s Union, called “Star of the Sea”, but it is connected with the sea only by its name. The idea to find an appropriate award found its way in the Lithuanian Sea Museum. The Museum Director Olga Zaliene claimed that there is a need for a non-commercialized award ceremony, organized by the marine community of Klaipeda. Such an event could strengthen marine community in Klaipeda.

Linked to the monument

One of the ideas is to link the award with a newly built monument for deceased seafarers and perished ships in Smiltyne, called Albatross. There is a new symbol and award format already created for the spread of marine culture. Until 2009, Lithuanian marine journalists’ club Marinus awarded nominations for those noted in the publishing of marine culture. The idea could be expanded, adding other areas and cultural categories. The idea was represented to the Marine Cultural Coordinating Council. Its members were in favor of the nomination and suggested that nomination should be decided not only on the internet but also evaluating annual work done in the area of marine culture. At the same time, it was expressed that all the other similar nominations in the city of Klaipeda, related with marine culture, should be preserved.

To unite port and city

Most of the members of Maritime Culture Coordinating Council think that Albatross Nominations should be provided by the Klaipeda City Municipality and the main figure of event should be city’s mayor. This would put an importance of Klaipeda as the only port city in Lithuania. However, there are other opinions, stating that Albatross Nominations should be a joint project between city and port. Different nominations could be given by different subjects of city and port. Director of Administration in the Lithuanian Maritime Safety organization Evaldas Zacharevicius noted that many international awards of maritime organization go for bravery in the sea. It is typical that organizations that give such awards tend to form committees which decide on whom to give a prize. Captain Sigitas Sileris, who is a winner of many awards, noted that the element of entertainment is important to make marine awards popular among people. He was surprised when in the ship Brabenderis he was rewarded for his publication on “Why Sea Captains Turn Grey in Their Hair so Soon?”; he was even more surprised upon learning that when he was nominated as the Sailor of the Year, people voted for him even from such towns as Zarasai.