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On August 17, the moored museum ship Hikawa Maru was officially designated as an Important Cultural Property by the nation's Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
In commemoration of this recognition, an exhibit titled 'Marugoto Hikawa Maru' (The Entire Hikawa Maru) is being held until December 25 at the NYK Maritime Museum in Yokohama. The exhibit includes diaries of people associated with the ship, cabin color schemes, brochures, photographs, and routes showcasing the ship's 86 years of history. In addition, the Hikawa Maru Academy is taking place as a series of lectures (in Japanese) to mark the event. Detailed information can be found in Japanese at the NYK Hikawamaru's website. (http://www.nyk.com/rekishi/)
NYK will continue its efforts to preserve this important cultural property to stimulate interest in the maritime industry
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NYK has supported ???Kishu Minabe Sea Turtle Research Project??? * launched by the authorized NPO EarthWatch Japan**. Seventeen NYK group employees volunteered to participate in the research which was conducted in July of this year.
Minabecho in Wakayama prefecture is the largest place in the main island of Japan where loggerhead sea turtles*** lay their eggs, but now sea turtles are in danger of dying out. Research of the sea turtle???s lifestyle has been undertaken since the year of 1990 in Minabecho.
This program was held twice this year where participants attached identification tags to the turtles, recorded and measured their shell length and width using a caliper. The measurement and tagging activity is accomplished as the turtles cross the sandy beach to nest at nighttime. This research was under the careful guidance of an academic expert and members of Sea Turtle Association of Japan, a local NPO in a manner so as not to disturb their spawning behavior.
NYK, as a good corporate citizen, recognizing environmental issues as a significant company challenge, will contribute to the achievement of a better sea through preservation of marine environment and biodiversity which have close relationship with our business.
*Kishu Minabe Sea Turtle Research Project
Senri, Iwashiro, Takahama beach in Minabecho, Wakayama prefecture where the loggerhead sea turtles come ashore for nesting every year, but sufficient identification surveys could not be conducted due to lack of staff. With comprehensive surveys and valuable data accomplished by responsible citizen volunteers the program objective can be met. This project???s objectives are to study the sea turtle???s lifestyle, and protect their habitat with the goal to protect and preserve sea turtles who are on the IUCN**** Red List of Threatened Species. The research sessions this year occurred on July10-12 and 14-16.
**EarthWatch Japan
Earthwatch, a non-profit organization established in 1971 in Boston, is an international nongovernmental organization. It provides researchers with both human and financial support for overseas field research and surveys. Volunteers dispatched all over the world by Earthwatch have taken active roles at cutting-edge scientific sites, receiving instruction from world-class scientists. Earthwatch Institute - Japan was established in 1993 for the purpose of promoting Earthwatch activities in Japan. In 2003, it was certified as a non-profit organization.
***Loggerhead sea turtle
Loggerhead sea turtle is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to shore development, encroachment and fishing net.
****IUCN
International Union for Conservation of Nature. IUCN is a global nature conservation network created by government and civil society organizations in 1948, to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges.
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September 6, 2016 ??? ENGIE, Mitsubishi Corporation and NYK Line have launched Gas4Sea, a new brand for their joint marketing of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel around the world. Gas4Sea aims to lead innovation through the ship-to-ship supply of LNG for the maritime sector.
A STRONG PARTNERSHIP TO SERVE CLIENTS WORLDWIDE
In 2014, ENGIE, Mitsubishi Corporation, and NYK concluded a framework agreement for a partnership to develop LNG bunkering services. By combining NYK???s shipping expertise with ENGIE and Mitsubishi Corporation???s LNG supply portfolio and terminal access under the brand Gas4Sea, the partners will offer a cleaner, reliable, safe, and cost-effective service to shipping customers worldwide. Through their proven experience in their respective businesses, they will be able to tailor their LNG supply chains to the customers??? needs.
The partners will begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2016, using a purpose-built LNG bunkering vessel (LBV) with a 5,000cm LNG capacity, the first of its kind in the market. Designed to adapt to the largest range of customers, it will be able to bunker vessels at the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, as well as other nearby ports.
The partners will expand their LNG bunkering services under Gas4Sea to meet more customers??? needs into other regions, in collaboration with stakeholders including shipping companies, port authorities, terminal operators, regional suppliers, and local governments and regulators.
Philip Olivier, CEO of ENGIE Global LNG, commented, ???Continuing ENGIE???s long history of innovation, we are proud to launch this first global LNG bunkering service together with our longstanding partners. In the general framework of energy transition, we believe LNG has a key role to play in developing a more sustainable shipping activity. In the coming months, we will start supplying United European Car Carriers??? new dual fuel car carriers operating in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.???
Jun Nishizawa, SVP and deputy COO of Mitsubishi Corporation???s Natural Gas Business Division, commented, ???At Mitsubishi Corporation, we continue to strive as a responsible energy supplier to contribute to the reduction of environmental impact leveraging on our half an century experience in LNG. We are at the juncture of achieving substantial emissions reductions in the maritime sector. Through our partnership with ENGIE and NYK, we hope to expedite shipping companies??? transition to LNG by placing ourselves as a key piece in the global marine LNG supply chain.???
Hitoshi Nagasawa, Senior Managing Corporate Officer of NYK Line, commented, "As a leading global shipping company, NYK is also striving to find reliable and environmentally sustainable solutions to help address society's need to reduce emissions. We believe that the use of LNG as a marine fuel is a key innovation in this search and through Gas4Sea, using the world???s first purpose-built LNG bunkering vessel, we and our partners ENGIE and Mitsubishi Corporation will offer ship owners and operators the opportunity to participate in this innovation and further enhance our industry's ability to operate in a more environmentally responsible way."
LNG AS A MARINE FUEL
Compared with conventional oil-based fuels, the use of LNG significantly reduces emissions from engine exhaust, thus enabling ship operators to comply with increasingly stringent maritime emissions regulations.
The development of LNG bunkering is steadily progressing. LNG???s proven safety record and widespread availability position LNG as a key alternative marine fuel.
