Mervel Kotzebue-Fleur, General Manager of DP World Paramaribo, has been named winner of the 2023 Maritime Award of the Americas in the Outstanding Women in the Maritime and Port Sector category. The award recognizes “the leadership and dedication of an outstanding woman through significant achievements, as well as professional contributions for the development of the maritime and port sectors in the Americas.”
The award is organized by the Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP), in collaboration with the Latin American Society of Marine Oil Terminal Operators and Single-Buoy Mooring (SLOM), the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), and other strategic OAS entities.
“I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive this award from the CIP, most notably because this organization is devoted to advancing the empowerment of female professionals and in doing so, promoting an inclusive, competitive and socially responsible port system,” said Kotzebue-Fleur, who joined DP World in 2017. “This award reflects my passion for the maritime industry and serves a reminder to continue to strive as a leader and ambassador for equality.”
Kotzebue-Fleur is the first woman from Suriname to be named to this prestigious award. She was nominated by the Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC), which works to foster the development and participation of women in the maritime sector and contribute to the growth of the industry.
The Maritime Award of the Americas recognizes successful practices in the maritime and port sectors of the Hemisphere that demonstrate excellence, innovation, leadership, sustainability and replicability across five categories: Competitive Digitalization; Cybersecurity in Ports and/or Terminals; Green Port Operations and Sustainable Management; Empowerment and Equality; and Outstanding Woman in the Maritime and Port Sectors. This is the award’s ninth year.
The Outstanding Woman in the Maritime and Port Sectors category is open to women at all public and corporate levels working in ports and/or terminals, National Port Authorities, as well as companies and institutions related to the maritime and port sectors in any of the CIP/OAS Member States. This year, 37 top-level nominations from 13 countries in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean were received.
