A record 350 people attended the luncheon honoring the recipients held at The Newark Club, which offered a panoramic view of the region, including the nearby Port Newark/ Elizabeth complex where containerization in shipping began. "This is a banner year for CII," said Allen Clifford, organization president. "The overwhelming success of this event, the milestone set with the Connie dinner in Long Beach, the awarding of a record ten scholarships today and the ongoing sale of the Box That Changed the World book are all confirmations that CII--turning 50 next year-- is meeting the needs of our ever-evolving industry."
'It is our honor to salute the lifelong careers of two real sailors who have made significant imprints on the transportation industry,' said Brendan McCahill, CII's chairman.
Thomas Simmers, president of Ceres Terminals, presented Mr. Butcher's award. Captain Kuo was awarded his Connie by Brian Maher, whose family founded Maher Terminals, the largest marine facility in the Port of NY/NJ.
A graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, in 1970 Jim Butcher served as Third Mate with the U.S. Military Sealift Command for one year before joining the Luckenbach Steamship Company in New York. He moved to H'egh Autoliners as Operations Manager when the Oslo, Norway, carrier opened its U.S. subsidiary in 1973 and was a founding member. In 1977 he became Vice President, in 1993 Executive Vice President, and in 1999 President. He was named Chairman of H'egh Autoliners Inc. in April 2009, and also serves as Chairman of the other H'egh companies Alliance Navigation LLC and Port Dolphin Energy LLC. He and his wife have two sons, and live on Long Island.
H'egh Autoliners Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of H'egh Autoliners AS, an Oslo Norway based global ocean carrier specializing in the transport of vehicles and other rolling cargoes.
