The Nansen Refugee Award for 2002 was awarded to the crew of the Tampa by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for their efforts to follow international principles of saving people in distress at sea, despite repeated threats of imprisonment and confiscation of the ship from the Australian government if the refugees be let off on Australian soil. To emphasize these threats, the government had the Tampa intercepted by ships of the Australian Navy.
ArneRinnan is known as the captain of the MS Tampa, owned by Norwegian shipping line Wallenius Wilhelmsen.
He has since received the Nansen Refugee Award[?] for 2002 from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for his efforts to follow international principles for saving people in distress at sea, despite repeated threats of imprisonment and confiscation of the ship from the Australian government if he let the refugees off on Australian soil.
ArneRinnan retired from his position as captain in late 2001.
ArneRinnan, right, captain of the Norwegian vessel Tampa, is introduced to six-week-old Payman Hussain Merzai by her father Rajab Ali and mother Tahere.
PHOTO: AP ArneRinnan, left, is reunited with some of the young men he and his crew rescued from a sinking Indonesian boat in August 2001.
ArneRinnan, 62, who was honored by the United Nations for his rescue operation, said he would not hesitate to mount a similar mission.
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