Rising star of the sea: third engineer Amilia Busby receives Nautilus cadet award
30 June 2025
Recently-qualified engineer officer Amilia Busby has been honoured with the 2025 Bevis Minter Award for the Most Worthy Cadet at the Maritime UK Awards in Dover. Sponsored by Nautilus International, the award recognises cadets who show exceptional determination and resilience – qualities that define Ms Busby's journey.
Originally from the construction industry, where she earned an NVQ and worked in trades like steel fixing and acoustic engineering, Ms Busby wanted to take her career to a higher level, and discovered engineering roles in the Merchant Navy. Despite lacking mechanical or electrical experience, she successfully applied for a cadetship.
Her maritime path also meant relinquishing a promising rugby career, as she had been accepted into a premier rugby academy.
She completed a demanding three-year cadetship, overcoming challenges such as the lack of a sea time placement and recovering from a rugby injury, and graduated in February 2025 with distinction in an HND in Marine Engineering from Warsash Maritime School (Solent University). She also earned a Warsash Association Commendation for Individual Achievement and holds an EOOW CoC Unlimited.
Her accolades don't stop there. In November 2025, she was named a Maritime SheEO Rising Star and ranks 64th on the 2025 Top 100 Women in Shipping list by All About Shipping Limited.
A Careers at Sea Ambassador and mentor with maritime consultancy Watermark, Ms Busby is passionate about inspiring future maritime professionals, especially women in engineering. 'I wish I had known about this career sooner,' she says, 'but you only ever really hear about the military services and not the Merchant Navy.'
The Bevis Minter Award was established in 1996 to honour a former chair of the Nautilus International Council and a champion of British seafaring skills.
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