In recognition of his years of outstanding service to the international shipping industry, Captain Warwick Norman has been appointed as a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

The announcement was made on Friday 26 January 2018, Australia Day. The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry which recognises Australian citizens or others for exceptional achievement or meritorious service, and the General Division acknowledges service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group.

Established in 2001, and under the stewardship of Warwick Norman, RightShip has grown from start-up to pre-eminent maritime safety organisation with global impact and reach, and is largely credited for improving international maritime safety standards.

Typifying the innovation and leadership that is synonymous with Warwick Norman, under his guidance in 2010 RightShip launched the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rating (GHG Rating) which measures the theoretical carbon dioxide emissions of a ship. The GHG Rating has proven to be a game-changer for the industry, and is now used as a selection tool for 20% of vessels by organisations that take environmental sustainability into account in their chartering decisions.

Likewise under Warwick Norman’s stewardship, in 2016 RightShip launched a new vetting platform, RightShip Qi. This tool utilises a predictive analytics platform and enhanced reporting capabilities to identify high risk vessels and help avoid preventable incidents – another first for the international maritime industry.

Speaking about the announcement Warwick Norman said:

“I am immensely proud and delighted to be recognised in the Order of Australia. From beginning my career as seafarer cadet, over the years I have become more and more passionately committed to protecting our seafarers, our cargo, our vessels and our precious marine environment. Today, RightShip’s data is seriously influencing the decisions of charterers, port operators, ship owners and maritime financiers for the better, as they seek to reduce carbon emissions and improve their risk management.”

Recently Warwick Norman announced that after 17 years at the helm of RightShip he would be stepping aside. He will however remain as a strategic consultant to the business, continuing to build on his legacy of innovation in maritime safety and sustainability.

In addition to this Order of Australia Warwick has numerous industry accolades to his credit including the 2013 ‘Prime Minister’s Australian Exporter of the Year’ and 2014 ‘Australian Export Hero’. In 2017, for the sixth consecutive year, Warwick was named in the prestigious Lloyds List ‘One Hundred Most Influential People in the Shipping Industry’.

Warwick began his seagoing career with ASP Ship Management, sailing from cadet to the rank of Master, and advancing to become Ship Manager and Marine Superintendent for the fleet of tankers managed by Shell, BP, Mobil and Esso. He is currently Chairman of both AUSMEPA and INTERMEPA, has been a member of Lloyd’s Register Asia Advisory Committee since 2007, sits on the Australian Seafarers Welfare Council and is a Sailors Society Ambassador.