The winners of the 2012 International Seafarers' Welfare Awards were announced on the evening of Wednesday 28 November during a high profile ceremony hosted by Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation, Mr Koji Sekimizu at the International Maritime Organisation in London.

The winners are:

• Shipping Company of the Year: Shell Shipping

• Port of the Year: Port of Kandla, India

• Seafarer Centre of the Year: Seafarers' House, Port Everglades, USA

• Drop-In Centre of the Year: International Drop-In Centre for Seafarers, Keppel Terminal, Port of Singapore

• Welfare Personality of the Year: Fr Giacomo Martino, Apostleship of the Sea, Italy and Rev Denis Claughton, Flying Angel Club, Fremantle, Australia

Commenting on the evening Roger Harris, ICSW Executive Director, said: "Tonight has been a real celebration of not just the winners but all those who are committed to the welfare of seafarers. This time of year is a time when we reflect but when we also look ahead to what's in store. Next year will mark a watershed in the welfare of seafarers. In August the Maritime Labour Convention will come into force and with it will come measures to encourage the introduction of national welfare boards, port welfare committees, and welfare facilities in ports for seafarers. This is the third year of these awards and our alumni of previous winners and shortlisted finalists provide a valuable catalogue of best practice for the sector to look towards as it continues to raise the bar on seafarers' welfare services."

To see the video of the awards event please see here.

For photos of the awards event please see here.

Shortlisted organisations were:

• Port of the Year: Port of Corpus Christi, USA; Kandla Port, India and Port of Singapore, Singapore

• Seafarer Centre of the Year: The Flying Angel Club Fremantle, Australia; Mission to Seafarers Sydney, Australia; Mission to Seafarers Vancouver & Roberts Bank, Canada; Seafarers' House Port Everglades, USA; Seamen's Club Welcome Bremerhaven, Germany

• Drop-in Centre of the Year: The Seafarers' Welcome Centre, Chennai; and The International Drop-in Centre for Seafarers, Singapore.

• Shipping Company of the Year: Bernhard Schulte Ship Management (BSM), Cyprus; Columbus Ship Management, Germany; GasLog LNG Services Ltd, Greece; Holland America, USA; and Shell Shipping, UK.

• Welfare Personality of the Year: Ms Apinya Tajit, Thailand; Reverend Dennis Claughton, Australia; Father Giacomo Martino, Italy; Joseph Chacko, India; and Reverend Noah Park, Australia

This year's judges were Mr Masamichi Morooka President of the International Shipping Federation and International Chamber of Shipping, Mr David Cockcroft, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation and Mr Douglas Stevenson, Chairman of the International Christian Maritime Association.

The awards are generously funded by the ITF Seafarers' Trust. The awards are also supported & endorsed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), International Shipping Federation (ISF), the Intentional Christian Maritime Association (ICMA), and Seafarer Help. International Shipping Federation (ISF) is sponsoring the Welfare Personality of the Year Award and Intermanager is sponsoring Shipping Company of the Year Award