Capt. Anil Choudhary, a longtime leader of NYK-operated vessels, received a certificate of commendation from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council on October 19 for rescuing 303 people in distress in November 2022.

The award ceremony was held in Mumbai, India, during Global Maritime India Summit 2023, hosted by India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Dharmendra Pradhan, India’s minister of education and minister of skill development & entrepreneurship, presented the certificate of commendation to Capt. Choudhary on behalf of the IMO Council and praised the outstanding response and determination of the captain and crew.

Capt. Choudhary made the following comment:
It's a great honor for me to receive this recognition from the IMO on behalf of the entire crew of Helios Leader. It was indeed a challenging operation due to the number of survivors involved (303, including women and children) and the adverse weather we experienced. I am glad that in the true NYK spirit of ensuring the safety of life at sea, we were able to successfully complete the rescue without the loss of a single life or injury to my brave crew. I hope this serves as a reminder to seafarers to act promptly and with a safe mindset in such challenging circumstances.