The marine and engineering subsidiary of Renaissance Services, Topaz Energy and Marine, has earned two prestigious Seatrade Middle East and Indian Subcontinent Awards for excellence and innovation in the maritime sector across the region.

During the grand award ceremony held in Dubai and in attendance of over 600 maritime executives, Fazel A. Fazelbhoy, CEO of Topaz Energy and Marine was awarded for the ‘Personality of the Year’, while Topaz’s Marine MENA fleet received the ‘Workboats’ award.

The ‘Personality of the Year’ award presented to Fazelbhoy was one of three special honors on the night, bestowed upon individuals for their significant and lasting contribution to the shipping and maritime industry throughout the region.

The ‘Workboats’ award was secured as a result of Topaz’s young and modern fleet size and diversity of the vessels, while its blue-chip client base and laudable safety track record also helped tip the scales in its favor.

The company’s engineering division was also represented by its Topaz Marine Repair unit as a finalist in the ‘Ship Repair/ Shipyard’ category.

The Seatrade Awards night was the closing event to the Middle East Workboats Exhibition, which ran from 5 – 7 October at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, and included over 170 exhibitors. The organizers noted a 70% increase in the number of exhibitors which was seen as a powerful sign of the continuing growth in the offshore marine support sector in the region.

The Renaissance subsidiary, Topaz Energy and Marine, was an exhibitor as well as one of the sponsors for the Middle East Workboats Exhibition. The Topaz display included its newest fleet addition, the light crew boat named Topaz Fujairah, a 30-meter aluminium hull catamaran recently built in the company’s own shipyard. The vessel has very high specifications and advanced safety features.

At the trade show, the company formally announced its USD 400,000-sponsorship of the Flying Angel as part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme. The Flying Angel is a floating communications support vessel that allows thousands of mariners each year to step off their vessels for a few hours and contact their loved ones at home. The vessel operates in the offshore anchorage of Fujairah and helps the seafarers of all vessels and nationalities to reconnect with their families.

Fazel A. Fazelbhoy, CEO of Topaz, accepting
'Personality of the Year' Award

Ron Clark, GM of Topaz Marine MENA, accepting the Seatrade
'Workboats' award 08

Topaz Fujairah