Lieutenant William Sturrup of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (right) was the recipient of the coveted Honour Graduate Award when he graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Training College’s International Maritime Officers Course (IMOC) in Yorktown, Virginia, on Thursday, June 26, 2014.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Lieutenant William Sturrup of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Training College’s International Maritime Officers Course (IMOC) in Yorktown, Virginia, on Thursday, June 26, 2014. He was the proud recipient of the coveted Honour Graduate Award, an award given to the student who distinguishes himself in academics and leadership, and exemplifies the core values of the U.S. Coast Guard, which are honor, respect and devotion to duty.

Mr. Chet Neymour, Deputy Chief of Mission of The Bahamas Embassy in Washington, D.C., represented the Embassy at the graduation ceremony on behalf of His Excellency Dr. Eugene Newry, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States. He was accompanied by Ms. Krissy Hanna, Second Secretary, to congratulate Lt. Sturrup on his noteworthy achievement and to offer support on behalf of The Bahamas Government. Deputy Chief of Mission Neymour had the pleasure of presenting Lt. Sturrup with a course completion certificate on behalf of the Training College.

The IMOC course is designed specifically for international, mid-grade officers. It is a 15 weeks series of seminars, classes and field studies that cover a wide range of topics, including maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, marine safety prevention and response, and international rules of law. The course also includes the international crisis command and control curriculum and leadership and management seminar.

Thirty four students from 26 countries participated in the course, from March 10 to June 27, 2014, at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center,  Yorktown Virginia.