Synergy Group was named ‘Shipmanager of the Year’ at the 2018 Lloyd’s List Asia Pacific Awards held in Singapore at the end of last week.The ‘Shipmanager of the Year’ award recognises exceptional performance in shipmanagement including safety, business development, proven client satisfaction, training, crew welfare, operational reliability and CSR.The award’s recipient is selected by a panel of independent, industry-respected judges based on strict criteria laid out by Lloyd’s List.Synergy Group, which now operates a fleet of over 185 vessels, met all criteria due to its wide range of recent achievements and proven ship management expertise.Key factors noted by judges were Synergy’s impressive fleet expansion, pioneering of dynamic new ship management technologies, and recent enhancements of its state-of-the-art training centres in India and the Philippines.Using a range of established maritime benchmarks and client testimonials, Synergy also demonstrated its strong commitment to CSR and gender equality at sea, its industry-leading crew retention and Lost Time Injury Frequency (LTIF) rates, and its outstandingly competitive cross-fleet operational costs.“I believe this prestigious award is deserved recognition of the tremendous dedication and hard work of the Synergy team at sea and ashore over the last year,” said Captain Rajesh Unni, CEO and Founder of Synergy Group. “They have been very dynamic and innovative in meeting the exactingly high standards of excellence demanded by our clients. “I would also like to thank our principals for entrusting us with some of the world’s most expensive and technologically advanced vessels.“It is immensely gratifying our clients were more than happy to convey to judges exactly how and why our customer-centric services benchmark so well against other management options.” Capt Unni said one of the secrets to Synergy’s success was its ability to provide tailored, value-added services to principals even as the company’s managed-fleet had expanded. “At Synergy we strive for operational and safety excellence every day to ensure we can exceed customer expectations,” he added. “We leverage our global network to provide local solutions. And we invest in our employees and nurture talent, not only because it makes good business sense to do so, but also because it is the right thing to do.”Capt Unni was particularly pleased the judges recognised Synergy’s progressive approach to CSR and gender equality. Synergy recently placed its first female cadet on a gas tanker and is making strenuous efforts to recruit and train more female personnel for deployment at sea and ashore.The company has also set up a dedicated, 24/7 psychological helpline for seafarers available for free in nine different languages, and earlier this year Capt Unni was awarded the ‘Seafarers Welfare Award’ by The Mission to Seafarers for making welfare a core Synergy value.“We strive to be a good company within the maritime community as well as a successful one,” said Capt Unni. “It is gratifying our approach was recognised by the judges and I would like to thank them again for their consideration.”
