The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) hosted 635 maritime industry stakeholders June 11 at Chelsea Piers in New York City for the organization’s annual Silver Bell awards dinner. This year, SCI honored John Wobensmith with the Silver Bell Award, while Adm. Linda Fagan (U.S. Coast Guard, ret.) received SCI’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
The event raised more than $825,000 to fund SCI’s work of chaplaincy, training, and advocacy for mariners and seafarers around the world.
“This year, we were proud to recognize John and Linda, two exemplary leaders whose compassion, dedication, and service have made a lasting impact on the people they work with and on the mariners and seafarers who are the backbone of this industry,” said the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, president and executive director of SCI. “The Silver Bell awards dinner brings together the very best of the maritime industry, and SCI always looks forward to this event. We are always deeply grateful for the remarkable generosity that stems from this event and supports our mission and our work.”
Wobensmith is chairman, president and CEO of Genco Shipping, a New York-based dry bulk shipowner with offices in Singapore and Copenhagen. With more than 30 years of experience in maritime finance and shipping, Wobensmith was inducted into the International Maritime Hall of Fame in 2024.
Upon accepting the Silver Bell Award, Wobensmith heaped praise on the team around him.
“No achievement like this happens alone,” he said, “and I am fortunate to have been surrounded throughout my career by extraordinary team members and colleagues, partners, mentors, and of course, close friends. At Genco, I have the privilege of working alongside an incredible group of people that make me look good every day, and this award is as much of a reflection of their efforts as it is my own.”
During Fagan’s 40-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard, she served on all seven continents and held numerous flag assignments, including commander of the Coast Guard’s Pacific Area, commander of Coast Guard Defense Force West, commander of the First Coast Guard District, and as the 32nd vice commandant of the Coast Guard.
Fagan assumed the duties as the 27th commandant of the Coast Guard on June 1, 2022, becoming the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. military. She served in that role until her retirement on January 20, 2025.
“Seamen’s Church brings compassion, kindness, dedication, but most importantly, humanity — humanity to the seafarers who find themselves often in difficult or challenging situations,” Fagan said during her acceptance speech. “They bring humanity and empathy to those mariners who help provide for our way of life here in this country.”
Prior to the meal and awards ceremony, Silver Bell opened with a “blessing of the vessels” procession on the Hudson River led by the Rev. Matthew Heyd, Episcopal bishop of New York, the Rev. Kristin Kaulbach Miles of New York City’s Trinity Church, Nestlehutt, and the Rev. James Kollin, SCI chaplain.
The event also included a processional led by the Port Authority Police Department Pipes & Drums band, the presentation of the colors by Coast Guard Sector New York, and choral performances by Trinity Church’s Trinity Choir. The program also featured a special tribute to longtime industry leader and former SCI trustee Jim Lawrence, who passed away last year.
Funds raised at the Silver Bell awards dinner support SCI’s chaplain services for international seafarers and U.S. mariners, crisis response, legal advocacy, simulator training and accreditations for U.S. mariners, and research for feasibility studies. More information about SCI is available at www.seamenschurch.org.
