His nearly unrivalled achievements in the world of international shipping over the past 40 years were recognized on the 4th April when he was named Seatrade Personality of 2011.

The award was handed over to him by none other than Princess Anne. The event, the 23rd Seatrade Awards Ceremony, took place at London’s Guildhall, where around 350 leaders from the maritime industry were present.

The award is presented every year to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to efficient, safe and environmentally-friendly shipping.

Christ Hayman, Chairman of Seatrade, said in his introductory speech that “It is not often that a private shipowner starts a company from scratch and without outside investment is able to build it up into one of the leading forces in the shipping world.”

Gianluigi Aponte was born in Sorrento, Italy. His family owned a fleet of sailing boats that operated on the Mediterranean. His first job was as captain of one of these boats.

Subsequently he went into banking. In 1970 he was able to buy a single ship and the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) was born. His leadership saw MSC growing into the 2nd largest global container ship operator. The company now employs over 40,000 people and operates 441 cargo ships.

During his reign MSC also saw strong growth in the company’s cruise business. What started off with a single cruise ship in 1988 has grown into the 4th biggest cruise company on earth. MSC is currently a market leader in the Mediterranean, Brazil and South Africa.