(STAMFORD, Conn.) — Lois Zabrocky, chief executive officer at International Seaways Inc., has been named as the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) Commodore for the Year 2020.
Zabrocky follows a long succession of influential maritime industry leaders as commodore. The 2020 Commodore Award will be presented on April 2 at the gala dinner marking the conclusion of the annual Connecticut Maritime Association conference and trade exposition, at the Hilton Hotel in Stamford, Conn.
The award is given each year to a person in the international maritime industry who has contributed to the growth and development of the industry.
Zabrocky has been president and chief executive officer of International Seaways, one of the largest tanker companies worldwide, since 2016. Before assuming leadership for International Seaways, she served as senior vice president for the predecessor company’s international flag strategic business unit with P&L responsibility for commercial management and oversight of fleet operations. Previously, she was chief commercial officer, with responsibility for international flag crude, products and gas businesses. Zabrocky currently serves on the board of ITOPF Ltd., a leading industry-based, not-for-profit ship pollution response adviser.
"The CMA is honored to present Ms. Lois Zabrocky with the 2020 Commodore Award," said Joe Gross, president of the CMA, upon making the announcement. "Lois' extensive knowledge of the industry and ability to build and lead a first-class team are well known throughout the shipping community. She has steered International Seaways with a steady hand since its inception in 2016, operating a fleet of 42 tankers from 50,000-dwt product tankers up to 441,000-dwt FSO'.
“Under Lois' leadership, International Seaways has embraced the IMO's initiatives towards decarbonization, launching their 'Get to Green' program to reduce the fleet's carbon footprint, reducing consumption in their fleet by some 500 mt per ship during the first year of the program.
“Lois has always been a strong supporter of the CMA throughout her career, which our community has deeply appreciated, and we consider her to be an excellent role model for young women and men entering our industry. She is indeed representative of the positive direction that shipping has been, and continues to be, moving in," Gross said.
“In the tanker business we are closely linked to the evolving world economy, competing internationally in a cyclical business," Zabrocky said. "We build relationships with an incredibly smart array of professionals hailing from every corner of the globe. Our seafarers, colleagues, customers, finance partners, ship builders, and competitors all over the world combine to make the tanker business dynamic and rewarding.
“I am honored to be chosen as this year’s commodore for the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA). I have been a member of CMA for two decades and I have always been impressed by the global reach of the organization. CMA brings together an impressive group of geographically diverse maritime people with differing skills and talents, all of which are critically important to moving our industry forward,” she said.
“For myself, and Seaways, to be honored by this esteemed organization, is a big milestone in my life and my career. When I think of the commodores who have come before me, it seems that my idols have become my peers.”
Former CMA commodores include Ole Skaarup, Jacob Stolt-Nielsen, George Livanos, Phil Loree, Thomas Moran, Gregory Hadjieleftheriadis, Dr. Helmut Sohmen, Gerhard Kurz, William O’Neil, Richard du Moulin, Per Heidenreich, Marc Saverys, Frank Tsao, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Peter Georgiopoulos, C. Sean Day, Torben Jensen, Morten Arntzen, John Fredriksen, Capt. Wei Jiafu, Philippe Louis-Dreyfus, Angeliki Frangou, Oivind Lorentzen, III, Peter Evensen, Robert Bugbee, Capt. Panagiotis Tsakos, Paddy Rodgers, Jack Noonan, Sabrina Chao, and in 2019 John C. Hadjipateras.