The Tampa Bay Pilots Association (TBPA), the association of harbor pilots serving the Tampa Bay area’s maritime traffic needs and a member of the Florida Harbor Pilots Association (FHPA), today announced that Captain Carolyn Kurtz has received the International Business Person of the Year Award from the Tampa Bay Organization Women in International Trade (TBOWIT).
“It is an honor to be recognized by the Tampa Bay Organization Women in International Trade,” said Captain Kurtz, the first female harbor pilot in Tampa, Fla. “As harbor pilots, it is our job to preserve our state’s economic engines and ensure the safe and efficient flow of commercial vessel traffic throughout the pilotage waters of Tampa. And, I am committed to working with our team here in the Tampa Bay area to continue to provide the topnotch ship handling expertise to our seaport operations.”
“We are delighted to add Captain Kurtz to the ranks of notable people who advance international business in the Tampa Bay community,” said Eileen Rodriguez, president of the TBOWIT.
Each year, the TBOWIT highlights the importance that global commerce plays in the Tampa Bay economy by honoring an individual whose business and professional life reflects a dedication to the expansion of international business throughout the region.
“I congratulate Captain Kurtz on receiving this distinguished award,” said Captain Stuart Lilly, president of the FHPA. “Over the last 26 years, her service as a maritime professional has been exceptional and we are proud of her outstanding service to the Ports of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Manatee. Without harbor pilots, like Carolyn, who are committed to protecting Florida’s investments in seaports, our state’s 14 deepwater ports would be at risk and the public’s assets would be in harm’s way.”
Captain Kurtz is the current secretary of the FHPA, representing the TBPA. Originally from New York, Captain Kurtz graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1986. She immediately joined Maritime Overseas Corporation as third officer, obtained an unlimited master’s license in 1993 and sailed until 1994. In 1995, she became the first woman to enter the training program to become a harbor pilot in the State of Florida.
Captain Kurtz has previously served as an FHPA director and was co-manager of the Tampa Bay Pilots Association from 2007-2009. She has been recognized as a “Woman of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts; and in 2010, received the “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” Award from the Jewish Museum of Florida. She is also a guest instructor at MITAGS and Maritime Pilots Institute.
Currently, there are nearly 100 highly-skilled and highly-trained harbor pilots serving Florida’s 14 deepwater ports, all of whom trained for a minimum of two years in their respective ports before handling the largest ships on their own. In a recent three-year period, Florida harbor pilots controlled the navigation of approximately 90,000 ships in Florida’s seaports, compiling an outstanding safety record.
