The NYK Group Conducts an Antiterrorism Training Exercise in Hong Kong and an Accident-Response Training Exercise in Tokyo
August 2, 2005
Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), taking into account lessons learned from the Diamond Grace oil spill that occurred in July 1997, announced that the NYK Group is launching a campaign to ensure that all employees have an appropriate understanding of the importance of safe voyages. As part of this campaign, the following exercises have been conducted:
- Joint antiterrorism exercise with the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF)
On July 28, NYK conducted a joint antiterrorism exercise with the HKPF based on a scenario in which a vessel is taken over by a terrorist group.
The exercise started with the ship-management services company receiving a ship security alert from the coal carrier Lady Kadoorie (gross tonnage: 77,240 tons, operated by NYK and managed by Toyo Sangyo Co., Ltd.), which was en route to Hong Kong. The ship-management services company then informed all related agencies about the incident and requested assistance. The exercise was conducted according to a scenario calling for the HKPF Special Duties Unit (SDU) to board the vessel and overwhelm the terrorist group. The HKPF police officers, who played the parts of terrorists, had previously boarded the vessel from a helicopter and had planted a number of unidentified materials on board. Later, 39 SDU commandos and police dogs trained to combat terrorists boarded the ship from four helicopters and five speedboats while the vessel was approaching the Hong Kong anchorage. The commandos overwhelmed nine terrorists and confiscated three unidentified materials. Altogether, it was a very realistic simulation. The head office of NYK established a task headquarters without delay upon receiving information about the terrorist incident, and then worked in close cooperation with the ship-management services company and NYK Line (Hong Kong) Ltd., NYK's local affiliate, to manage issues related to this incident.
- Training exercise in response to a serious tanker accident in Tokyo Bay
On July 29, an exercise was conducted with the assumption that a large volume of crude oil had spilled because of a collision near the mouth of Tokyo Bay between a vessel and the supertanker Takamatsu Maru, which is managed by NYK Shipmanagement Pte. Ltd. in Singapore. With the participation of related administrations in addition to a salvage company, insurance company, and marine disaster-prevention center, the exercise was conducted with a focus on taking appropriate measures to minimize damage. At the same time, for the purpose of managing the uneasiness of residents on the periphery as well as potential anxiety in general, this exercise included the issuing of a preliminary press release and the holding of a press conference to rapidly report to the public about the state of the accident.
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NYK's policy is not only to closely exchange information with related administrations but also to proactively carry out joint exercises with different organizations with a view to taking appropriate measures to deal with potential accidents and incidents of terrorism.