Port Canaveral wins national honor from Coast Guard for maritime security excellence
Brevard County FL Dec 9 2020 Port Canaveral has been named the winner of the Coast Guard’s 2020 Rear Adm. Richard E. Bennis Award for maritime security excellence.
Port Canaveral is the first Florida port selected for the award, which it received “for demonstrating the industry’s overall commitment to maritime security and safeguarding the nation’s vital marine transportation system.”
In a statement announcing the award, Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray said the award “is an exceptional honor for our port, and outstanding recognition of our collective efforts to ensure the safety and security of our port and extended community. I am immensely proud of Barry Compagnoni, and the entire port safety and security team, who are dedicated to our mission to protect our people and assets.”
Compagnoni is the port’s senior director of public safety and security. He is a retired Coast Guard captain whose assignments included Coast Guard attache at the U.S. embassy in Beijing and commander of the Coast Guard sector in Honolulu.
In a letter to Port Canaveral, Adm. Karl Schultz, the commandant of the Coast Guard, noted that “this year’s field of candidates was extremely competitive, and Canaveral Port Authority’s selection for this prestigious award is a testament to your organization’s commitment and contributions to the security of our nation’s marine transportation system.”
Schultz cited, for example:
Port Canaveral’s active role in the area maritime security committee and “frequent presentation of highly informative port security briefs” that were “instrumental in ensuring cooperation and unity of effort in ensuring the region’s maritime resiliency.”
Port Canaveral’s interaction with the Coast Guard and broader port community.
The award is presented biennially by the Coast Guard to recognize outstanding maritime security achievements and contributions made by U.S. maritime organizations with regards to implementing the federal Maritime Transportation Security Act requirements and other best practices in safeguarding the nation’s Marine Transportation System.
The award is named for the late Rear Adm. Richard Bennis, who served in the Coast Guard for 30 years until his retirement in 2002. On Sept. 11, 2001, while serving as Captain of the Port of New York, Bennis organized the waterborne evacuation of nearly 500,000 people from lower Manhattan after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
