Matson Kodiak Awarded 2023 Vessel Safety Award

Matson Kodiak Awarded 2023 Vessel Safety Award

by Jon Lane, Senior Safety and Security Manager, SQES, and Barbara Orbeta, Administrative Assistant

Safety is our top priority at Matson. We are dedicated to ensuring that our Matson ohana work in a safe environment and return home uninjured to their families, friends, and loved ones. In 2015, we introduced the annual Vessel Safety Award Program, a significant initiative that underscores our commitment to safety. This program, designed to honor the ship with the best safety program and culture, is a testament to the outstanding efforts of our crews. We are proud to announce that the crew of Matson Kodiak are this year’s winners of this prestigious award.

The evaluation includes three key categories:

  1. Near Miss Reports – reports highlight the crew’s ability to identify and address potential hazards.
  2. Rest Period Compliance – measures how well the crew adheres to the required daily rest periods.
  3. Number of Incurred Injuries – tracks the number of injuries reported.
The Matson team dressed in their safety gear present the Matson Kodiak captain with an award check and the brass lifeboat compass trophy.
L-R: Jon Lane, senior safety and security manager; Kevin Krick, senior director, SQES; Captain Jed Tweedy, Matson Kodiak; Captain Jack Sullivan, senior vice president, Vessel Operations and Engineering; Archie Morgan, vice president, New Vessel Construction

The ship that excels in these areas receives the award. Quarterly winners are awarded $2,500, and the annual winner receives $15,000 for crew amenities. Additionally, the annual winner is awarded a trophy inscribed with the names of all previous winners. The trophy, a replica 19th-century brass lifeboat compass mounted on a mahogany base, recalls the era in which Matson was founded and is a visual representation of safety gear aboard the ship.

How will the crew spend that $15,000? “We have been soliciting ideas from the crew, and so far, we have purchased some very good local Alaskan seafood for our Steward to prepare,” said Matson Kodiak Master, Joe Single. “Other ideas have been expanding the gym and equipment, ‘noise-canceling’ ear protection that still allows people to have normal conversations, purchasing DirecTV professional sports packages (NFL Sunday Ticket, MLB, NBA, etc.), and looking at high-quality, Matson Kodiak foul weather gear.”

Matson Kodiak’s name will join Manukai (2016), Matson Anchorage (2017), SS Matsonia (2018), Maunalei (2019), Matson Tacoma (2020), Maunawili (2021), and Kaimana Hila (2022) on the trophy, which will reside on Matson Kodiak until a new winner is chosen for 2024.

The Matson Kodiak Crew stands on the ship's house displaying their award check.
Congratulations to the crew of the Matson Kodiak!