News of Norway, March 22, 2002
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees stated that the recipients had demonstrated respect for the international principle of assisting people in distress at sea. The award was given due to the events of August 2001, when the Norwegian containership picked up 438 Afghan refugees from a sinking ship off the Australian coast.
In the days that followed, an international drama developed. Some of the refugees threatened to jump overboard if the captain did not bring the ship to Australia. The Australian government refused to let the large group onto land, arguing that the large stream of illegal refugees from Indonesia was getting out of hand.
The situation was resolved when New Zealand agreed to take 131 of the refugees, while the rest are currently seeking asylum in the Pacific islands Nauru and Papau New Guinea. Captain Rinnan´s action to rescue the refugees was courageous, as it risked delays and economic losses for "Tampa"’s owners. Also, the ship was not even equipped to handle large crowds of passengers.
Rinnan has been praised for his action by, among others, an Australian grass-root movement, and the people of Hamburg named him "The Man of the Year". He was also named "Captain of the Year" by Lloyds Shipping Register, and received several Norwegian prizes.
The prize is worth $100,000, and the money will be given to a refugee project of the recipient's choice. Although the award was named after Norway's famous polar explorer, international refugee official and humanitarian, Fridtjof Nansen, this is the first time it has been awarded to Norway.