The maritime safety award Sea Sunday was presented to Professor Emeritus Pentti Kujala of Aalto University on 9 September 2025 in Otaniemi. The award is a recognition of Kujala's significant efforts to improve the safety of shipping. Kujala's career of over 40 years includes positions in the maritime industry and academic work as professor of marine technology at Helsinki University of Technology and Aalto University. His work has included studies of marine structures and vessels as well as the development of risk analyses.
Kujala has led several major research projects, and his work has contributed to the improvement of safety for shipping in icy waters. He has published over 200 scientific papers, which have been cited thousands of times. Kujala’s research has also influenced the adoption of the POLARIS risk management system for planning voyages to polar waters.
In Otaniemi, Kujala has served as the leader of the Marine and Arctic Technology research group and led the Joint Research Centre of Excellence for Arctic Shipping and Operations (CEARCTIC).
The award was presented by Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne at the Aalto Ice and Wave Tank.
'Sea Sunday is a highly respected award in the field, and I am humbly thankful to receive it. It serves as further motivation for continuing my development work to improve maritime safety together with my partners in Finland and Estonia especially,' said Professor Emeritus Pentti Kujala.
The Sea Sunday award was established in 1997 by Finnish authorities and maritime organisations. The award committee is headed by the Finnish Seamen's Mission.
We focus on the behaviour of ships and structures in normal and extreme environments. We do our research by considering the safety of maritime transportation, as well as the experiences the marine environment can offer to cruise vessel passengers.
Arctic Technology is a specialised field in which Finland has strong scientific achievements and considerable doctoral training. Arctic Technology is one of the five research focus areas of the School of Engineering.
Aalto Ice and Wave Tank is a multipurpose basin ideally suited for testing ships and other maritime structures in ice conditions.
