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NYK and Two Group Companies Recognized for Participation in Research Study

November 14, 2007

Left to right, from second on the left,
Junya Ogawa, manager of the Environmental
Management Team within Safety and Environmental
Management Group;
Masao Nii, executive director of the National Institute for
Environmental Studies;
Ryutaro Ohtsuka, president of the National Institute for
Environmental Studies;
Masayuki Kunugi, senior researcher of National Institute for
Environmental Studies; and
Yusei Sakae, managing director of Japan Marine Science Inc.

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK; head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; president: Koji Miyahara), and two wholly owned subsidiaries, Japan Marine Science Inc. (head office: Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa; president: Yoshitaka Fukuo) and NYK Cruises Co. Ltd. (head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; president: Mitsutoshi Nawa), have received a certificate of gratitude from Ryutaro Otsuka, president of the National Institute for Environmental Studies (location: Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki), for the companies? participation in marine-contamination research studies conducted by Masayuki Kunugi, a senior researcher at the institute.

Mr. Kunugi studies marine contamination caused by hazardous chemical substances, mainly agricultural and other chemicals designated by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Agreeing with the purpose and purport of the studies, NYK and the two group companies cooperated with the research that was conducted since 2000, research that involved seawater samples taken around tankers, containerships, and cruise ships navigating the world?s waterways. During this time, Mr. Kunugi was able to collect more than 1,000 seawater samples at 500 sites for research on marine contamination by ships.

Through its work with the institute and universities, moreover, NYK has contributed to the study of the dynamic state and impact on ecosystems of marine organisms that adhere to ship hulls to move from place to place or live in injected/discharged vessel ballast water, seawater that is stored in tanks of vessels to ensure stability.

The NYK Group will continue to participate in research that can benefit the society that we all inhabit.

Since its establishment in 1974, the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) has played a major role in environmental research in Japan. In April 2001, the NIES was reorganized into an independent administrative institution, which allows it to deal with issues more flexibly and effectively. Its research aims include not only ways of solving or mitigating environmental problems but also ways of achieving coexistence with our natural environment.