NYK Receives Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award
April 13, 2007
Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK; Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koji Miyahara) received the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award at the 16th annual Earth Environment Awards ceremony sponsored by the Fujisankei Communications Group. NYK was the first recipient of this newly established award.
The Earth Environment Awards are given to corporations, local governments, universities, colleges, and citizens' groups that make signification contributions to environmental-preservation activities. This was the second time for NYK to be recognized at the Earth Environment Awards, following the company's receipt of the Nippon Keidanren Chairman Award in 2005.
At this year's ceremony-which was held on Thursday, April 12, at Meiji Kinenkan in Tokyo-Takao Kusakari, chairman of the NYK Group, accepted the award from Yoshio Mochizuki, senior vice-minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, in the presence of Prince and Princess Akishino.
The prize recognized NYK's corporate efforts toward establishing maritime pollution prevention measures and environmental protection strategies on a global scale.
NYK's achievements include the following:
- Reduction and disposal of bilge generated on ships
NYK invented an original disposal system* in the second half of the 1980s to reduce the amount of oil contaminated water, or bilge, that was generated in the engine rooms of its ships, bilge that would subsequently need to be treated before disposal at sea. Since then, the company has continued to improve the system and has now adopted it as a standard for all NYK ships in order to reduce maritime pollution. The company has also used its technology and know-how to adapt its disposal systems for use in related industries.
Further, NYK has cooperated with marine transportation and shipbuilding industries, the Japanese Shipowners' Association, and the Japan Ship Technology Research Association to contribute to the establishment of national government standards for maritime pollution, especially bilge disposal. The company has also worked to develop global standards for international maritime organizations. NYK's proprietary system for bilge disposal, including the system's development, operational technology, and the organization's expertise, were instrumental in the process of international standardization. - Support for research and human resources related to maritime environmental protection In May 2005, NYK set up a 50 million yen fund to support projects commemorating the company's receipt of the Thor Heyerdahl International Maritime Environmental Award.** The fund will be used to foster the development of research and human resources related to maritime environmental protection.
- NYK Group's promotion of energy-saving activities in Japan and overseas
In the summer of 2006, NYK participated in the CO² Diet Declaration,*** an energy-saving activity promoted by Japan's Ministry of the Environment and Tokyo Electric Power Company, among others. Participating NYK Group staff members and their families saved 300 tons of CO² emissions overall, of which overseas staff and families accounted for 140 tons of reduced emissions. At least 1,500 executive officers, employees, and family members from NYK Group companies, including 500 individuals in Japan and approximately 1,000 overseas, participated in the energy-saving campaign.
NYK takes this environmental award as encouragement to continue its efforts to share with society the environmental technologies it has developed through marine transportation. The award also encourages the company to continue using its key strength as a global logistics provider, namely its international network, to continue to contribute to environmental protection activities worldwide.
| * | Proprietary bilge treatment and disposal system Traditionally, oil-contaminated water, or bilge, generated in the engine rooms of shipping vessels was collected in a single place. The oil was subsequently separated from the water with a bilge treatment system until the water contained less than 15 ppm (parts per million) of oil and could be disposed of in the ocean. NYK streamlined the process by using a pipe arrangement that allowed its ships to collect water and oil separately. This improved the effectiveness of the bilge treatment system by reducing the amount of oil-contaminated water that needed to be treated and disposed. |
| ** | Thor Heyerdahl International Maritime Environmental Award Dr. Thor Heyerdahl and the Norwegian Shipowners' Association established the Thor Heyerdahl International Maritime Environmental Award in June 1999. The award aims to contribute to an improvement in the global environment, promote the environmental benefits of shipping as a mode of transport, and serve as an inspiration for implementing specific environmental measures. A winner is selected every two years. The Green Award Foundation won the award in 2001, the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation in 2003, and NYK in 2005. (http://www.heyerdahlaward.com/) |
| *** | CO² Diet Declaration Tokyo Electric Power Company established a CO² Diet Declaration website for individuals to access and voluntarily declare their energy conservation efforts at home or in the office. NYK's contribution, based on the savings declared by participating NYK staff members and their families, was estimated at 300 tons of CO². |