Under the auspices of the UK Department for Transport and Maritime & Coastguard Agency, Captain Belinda Bennett of Windstar Cruises was granted the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service, as ‘the first black female captain in the commercial cruise industry’, for services to the promotion of the maritime sector.
Her Royal Highness Princess Anne presented the Merchant Navy Medal honor, earned by those “who have gone above and beyond in their service to the maritime industry,” at Trinity House...
https://safety4sea.com/uk-awards-first-black-female-captain-in-cruise-industry/