Four rewards and one honorable mention. When The Swedish Mercantile Marine Foundation distributed this year's rewards M/T Tern Ocean was the big winner.

The Swedish Association of Seamen's Foundation has since 1977 rewarded seamen who have made efforts to improve working conditions at sea. This year, 42 awards totaling SEK 596,000 are distributed.

- This is about innovation power and development potential. This is how it looks in reality on our Swedish boats, said the soon to be chairman of the Foundation, Karl Karell, before the prize ceremony started in the Sea Rescue Society's premises in Långedrag.

Among the winners, there were many examples of great inventiveness. Ship engineers Filip Westlund and Edward Lundin from M/T Tern Ocean had designed three different tools and solutions and made a full hat trick on during the prize ceremony. But that wasn-t enough. A couple of colleagues who had created a small cable collector brought home another reward to the vessel and M/T Tern Ocean was awarded an honorable mention and SEK 20,000 for its active participation in the Foundation's reward work.

Among the prize winners were also those who stuck out - for example, Simon Aristofanous Kullenberg, financial assistant at M/S Birka Stockholm, was rewarded for having created the personnel health initiative " Biggest looser" and  Dag Wetterholm, chief officer at M/S Stena Jutlandica, was rewarded for having introduced a waste sorting method that made " leftovers from ferries heat residential buildings".

Unfortunately, there were not women among the winners. In fact, the only prize that went directly to a woman was the literature prize of SEK 20,000 – a prize that will be handed out during the Bok & Bibliotek book fair in September.

- The IMO theme for 2019 is empowering women in the maritime community wich means that that this year will be devoted to female seamen, stated Cecilia Östermalm from the Foundation's review group after the ceremony.

She then urged everyone to "go home" and encourage the women in the industry to present ideas and solutions for the foundation.

- About 30 per cent of all Swedish sailors are women. And it is of course our wish that this is reflected in the rewards.

Read more about the rewards