Home > Business > Industry

S-Oil honors nine officers for heroic acts at sea

Published: 09 Dec. 2025, 13:41 Updated: 09 Dec. 2025, 14:37

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

S-Oil CEO Anwar A. Al-Hejazi [S-OIL]

S-Oil, together with the Korea Coast Guard and the Korea National Council on Social Welfare, honored nine officers for life-saving acts at sea during the 2025 Hero Maritime Police Officers awards ceremony held at the Mapo Garden Hotel in western Seoul on Tuesday.

The top honor went to Sergeant Choi Myeong-geun, who in March rescued 104 residents trapped on a coastal breakwater while attempting to escape a major wildfire in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang. Choi used a rescue boat to evacuate the stranded residents, preventing what authorities said could have been a large-scale casualty disaster, S-Oil said.

Two additional officers, Chief Sergeants Moon Kang-hyeok and Hwang Soon-cheol of the Pyeongtaek Coast Guard, were also recognized for risking their own safety in severe weather conditions.

Both officers attempted to protect fellow crew members during emergency docking, despite accidents in which personnel fell into the water and one officer nearly suffered a foot amputation between a patrol vessel and a moored ship.

“Maritime officers, who take risks to save lives in difficult situations, are the real heroes,” said S-Oil CEO Anwar A. Al-Hejazi. “We will keep providing unstinting support to maritime police officers,” he added.

S-OIL has operated a support program for Coast Guard personnel since 2013 under the “Maritime Hero Protection” initiative, formed through a partnership with the Coast Guard and the Korea National Council on Social Welfare.

The company provides scholarships for children of fallen officers, medical support for officers injured on duty, family respite programs, and annual awards recognizing distinguished service.

In recognition of these efforts, Al-Hejazi was appointed an honorary Coast Guard officer in 2024.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]